Is this something that happens in the Catholic Church?  Or is this just another Novus Ordo error?

I know funerals don't happen on Sundays.

What's wrong with a wake on a Sunday?

Maybe nothing.  I thought funerals were forbidden on Sundays, so I thought wakes would fall under the same proscription.  Maybe I'm wrong about one or both?

Isn't a wake a dinner?

Isn't it an act of mercy to console and to feed those who are suffering the loss of their beloved?

Didn't Christ tell us that we can perform acts of mercy and even water and feed our animals on the Sabbath?

As late as 1961 the Manual of Catholic Prayer states on page 202

"The body is then laid out in seemly fashion, and a light placed before it.
A small cross is placed upon the breast in the hands of the deceased, or the
hands are folded crosswise, and the body is sprinkled from time to time
with holy water.  Until the burial takes place prayer should constantly be
offered for the deceased by those who watch the body."

A wake is when the body is watched.

Today funeral homes no longer put out holy water next to the casket except when
the priest is there or unless the family requests it.  Sad

In the book, The Grace of Final Perseverance, it states that the soul can
remain in the body "until the first signs of decay appear or the body has
been embalmed"  (about 3 days)

This is probably why a child can be Baptised several hours after death and
an adult also can be anointed.

Contrary to popular belief, the body is not kept above ground for 3 days to make
sure the person is really dead.

From Wikipedia:

The term wake was originally used to denote a prayer vigil, often an annual event held on the feast day of the saint to whom a parish church was dedicated. Over time the association with prayer has become less important, although not lost completely, and in many countries a wake is now mostly associated with the social interactions accompanying a funeral.
It used to be the custom in most Celtic countries in Europe for mourners to keep watch or vigil over their dead until they were buried — this was called a "wake". This is still common in Ireland and North-western Scotland.
With the change to the more recent practice of holding the wake at a funeral home rather than the home, the custom of providing refreshment to the mourners is often held directly after the funeral at the house or another convenient location.
The wake or the viewing of the body is a prominent part of death rituals in many cultures. This ceremony allows one last interaction with the corpse, providing a time for the living to express their emotions and beliefs about death with the deceased

Over here anyway, wakes are held in the home. All the relatives come over to pay respects, etc. and then they usually stay for a meal since they'll often have had fairly long journeys to get there. Which then turns into an almost celebratory occasion as people share funny stories about the deceased. So it sort of is like a dinner, for us anyway.

The wake serves a functional purpose in that it's traditional to never leave the body alone. So having loads of relatives over makes it a lot easier to always have someone in the room.

Down here too! Every wake I've ever attended - and I've attended a few in my years - has included a dinner.

Isn't a wake a dinner?

No. it's not a dinner but a dinner is part of the wake.
.
It's not a NO error to have a wake on a Sunday. It would just depend on what day the person died.

So interesting to hear that others' experiences have been that a wake includes a dinner.  Every wake I have ever attended was held in a funeral home and there was never any food offered.

Nadir, thanks for the response about it not being an error.  I have been trying to google info online and even funerals appear to be allowed on Sundays but there are exceptions (Advent, Lent, Easter).  Having said that, I'm still not sure if this is traditional law or N.O. law.  

I have never been to or heard of a funeral on a Sunday in the Novus Ordo.