Tu B'Av

Tu B'Av
Dancing girls on Tu B'Av
Official name	Hebrew: ט"ו באב English: Fifteenth of Av
Observed by	Jews
Type	Jewish religious and cultural
Observances	Tachanun and similar prayers are omitted from daily prayers
Date	15th day of Av
2016 date	Sunset, August 18 – Nightfall, August 19

Tu B'Av (Hebrew: ט"ו באב, the fifteenth of the month Av) is a minor Jewish holiday. In modern-day Israel, it is celebrated as a holiday of love (Hebrew: חג האהבה‎‎, Hag HaAhava), similar to Valentine's Day. It has been said to be a "great day for weddings".

According to the Mishna, Tu B'Av was a joyous holiday in the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, marking the beginning of the grape harvest. Yom Kippur marked the end of the grape harvest. On both dates, the unmarried girls of Jerusalem dressed in white garments, and went out to dance in the vineyards (Babylonian Talmud, tractate Ta'anit 30b-31a). That same section in the Talmud states that there were no holy days as happy for the Jews as Tu B'Av and Yom Kippur. The holiday celebrated the wood-offering brought in the Temple (see Nehemiah 10:35). Josephus refers to it as the Feast of Xylophory ("Wood-bearing").

Various reasons for celebrating on Tu B'Av are cited by the Talmud and Talmudic commentators:

Tu B'Av marks an informal "high" to counter the "low" of The Three Weeks leading up to Tisha B'Av. Tu B'Av does not have many established religious rituals associated with its celebration. However Tachanun is not said—either at mincha the day before or on the day itself—and a bride and groom traditionally do not fast if their wedding falls on Tu B'Av.

In modern times, it has become a romantic Jewish holiday, often compared to Valentine's Day, and has been said to be a "great day for weddings, commitment ceremonies, renewal of vows, or proposing".