Ka Setswana, when a small child loses a parent,there is a ritual done so that the child doesn’t cry for the parent/have nightmares about the absence of the parent. It is called ‘Go sebediwa’.An older woman would whisper to the child ‘mmaago o thokahetse’ when the child is asleep.

Apparently this helps the child’s spirit to make peace with the death, especially children who are not yet of speaking age, or those who cannot comprehend death.

My grandma said this is how they ‘talked’ to children about death, and ease their ‘anxieties’. Interesting!