The Qingming Festival, or Tomb Sweeping Day, is an important festival in China when people pay tribute to the dead. They visit the graves of their ancestors and offer sacrifices to them. The festival falls on April 5 this year.

Many poems related to the day were created during the Tang and Song dynasties (618-1279), when the art of poetry was at its peak in China. Today we are going to share with you one of the most famous poems.

The Mourning Day

- By Du Mu (803-852)

A drizzling rain falls like tears on the Mourning Day;

The mourner’s heart is going to break on his way.

Where can a wine shop be found to drown his sad hours?

A cowherd points to a cot ‘mid apricot flowers.