The fifteenth of Av — an ancient and joyful day that the Talmud counts, alongside Yom Kippur, among the happiest days in the Jewish calendar. In modern Israel it has become Chag HaAhava, a day of love. It arrives just six days after Tisha B'Av, turning the year's deepest mourning toward its warmest celebration.
Six days after the saddest day of the year comes one of its happiest — love answering grief.
The Mishnah records that on Tu B'Av the unmarried women of Jerusalem would go out to the vineyards in borrowed white garments — so that none would be shamed by wealth or poverty — and dance, as young men came to seek their match. Tradition attaches several happy turning points in Israel's history to the date. Coming so soon after the grief of Tisha B'Av, Tu B'Av became an emblem of consolation and renewal: love answering loss. In contemporary Israel it is widely celebrated as a day for love, romance, and weddings.
There is no formal liturgy for Tu B'Av, but the penitential Tachanun prayer is omitted, marking its joy. In modern Israel it is a popular day for weddings and for celebrating love, with music festivals, concerts, and gestures between couples. It carries a light, celebratory spirit rather than a set of ritual obligations.
Chag Sameach — Happy holiday
Tu B'Av has no formal liturgical greeting; "Chag Sameach" ("happy festival") suits its joyful spirit, and in modern Israel it is celebrated warmly as a day of love.
“Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it.”— Song of Songs 8:6-7
Tu B'Av 2027 begins at sundown on Tuesday, August 17 and ends at nightfall on Wednesday, August 18.
The fifteenth of Av, an ancient day of joy that the Talmud counts among the happiest in the Jewish calendar, and today a celebration of love in Israel.
The Mishnah describes young women dancing in the vineyards on this day as couples were matched; modern Israel revived it as Chag HaAhava, a day for love and weddings.
The Mishnah pairs Tu B'Av with Yom Kippur as the two most joyful days for Israel, linking it to several happy turning points tradition assigns to the date.
There is no formal ritual, but the Tachanun prayer is omitted, and in Israel it is widely marked with weddings, romantic gestures, and festivals of music.
Sundown, Tue Aug 17 – nightfall, Wed Aug 18, 2027
Tu B'Av falls on the fifteenth of Av and begins at sundown the evening before. It comes just six days after Tisha B'Av, turning the year's deepest mourning toward joy.
Chag Sameach — Happy holiday