Budi Suryadi- Jun 21, 2011:

Parlor (various meanings of) Parlor has various meanings (see the link below: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parlor);
in the case of funeral parlor, in Indonesia we use the term Rumah Duka, meaning a house where family and friends of the deceased will gather for prayers etc.; or an establishment which offers services related to funerary arrangements including embalming, and preparations prior to the funeral itself.

definition of PARLOR (from Merriam Webster)
1
: a room used primarily for conversation or the reception of guests: as a : a room in a private dwelling for the entertainment of guests b : a conference chamber or private reception room c : a room in an inn, hotel, or club for conversation or semiprivate uses
2
: any of various business places <a funeral parlor> <a beauty parlor>

Origin of PARLOR
Middle English parlour, from Anglo-French, from parler
Synonyms: establishment, joint, place, salon

Catherine Muir Jun 21, 2011:

Derivation of use of word 'parlor' In Victorian times, a 'parlor' (US) or 'parlour' (UK) was the 'good room' in a family home, kept closed up except when special guests came or when there was a special occasion. When a member of the family died, s/he was usually 'laid out' in the 'parlor' or, for poor families, in the bed in which s/he died. As you can imagine, it could get very smelly, especially in summertime, which is why lots of candles always surrounded an open coffin or recumbent corpse. As requirements for preservation and storage of bodies became more strict and burials direct from home became very rare, the funeral industry began to develop special-purpose premises for preparation, storage and display of bodies, and the term 'funeral parlor' came into use as the place where bodies were taken for embalming, storage and viewing before the funeral. Because of the change in use of the word 'parlor', which took on morbid connotations, the 'parlor' of a family home came to be known as 'the living room' (US) or 'lounge room' (UK) and the differentiation continues to this day.