I guess the obvious answer is that people don’t want to see them crying, but that doesn’t work. You can still tell they’re crying.
I googled this and couldn’t find anything.
Is there any reason? Do people just think it’s part of the “funeral uniform?”
I don’t think I’ve ever noticed people wearing sunglasses at funerals, unless it was a sunny day.
Sunglasses give you at least the illusion of a barrier between you and the world. They are something to psychologically hide behind in times that are stressful.
The practice varies by region and ethnicity but it is used to hide some of the symptoms of crying. Open crying makes some people uncomfortable and can make their eyes become bloodshot and puffy. Sunglasses hide those symptoms and make a mourner feel a little more comfortable.
Because veils have gone out of style.
You haven’t been watching “The Sopranos” have you?
I was under the impression that people wore sunglasses because all that crying had made their eyes overly sensitive to light. I wished I had sunglasses instead of just my regular glasses when I was at my dad’s funeral. When we’d go outside, it was so bright, it hurt.
Not really a factual answer, but just from my experience.
Sunglasses can also hide the fact that you haven’t been crying. They can also mask your inattentiveness, insincerity or voyeuristic staring at the funeral.
They give you a little privacy for your grieving. As Scarlett67 pointed out, they do what veils used to do.