The calendar of many peoples is formed on the basis of historical milestones and events that play a special role for it. In Jewish, especially rich and complex, every holiday or memorable date also has a certain event outline under it.
If you look into the Shulchan Aruch – the code of Jewish law, then in it we will not find any mention of any rituals of the Tu B’Av holiday, except that prayers of repentance are excluded in synagogues on this day. Nevertheless, the Talmud calls this event the greatest holiday of the year along with Yom Kippur – the Day of Forgiveness.
When is Tu B’Av Love Day?
In 2022, the “lover’s day” of the Israelis, Tu B’Av Love Day, is celebrated 12 August.
history of the holiday
That was a long time ago. Even before the establishment of the kingdom in Israel and the conquest of Jerusalem. In the tragic month of Av, on the 15th day, the perennial pestilence stopped, which killed the entire 600th generation of the Exodus of the Jews, who did not want to enter the promised land. Then, for forty years, on the 9th of Av, 15 thousand people died, but on the 40th year on the terrible date no one died, and everyone decided that they were mistaken, the 9th simply had not yet come … But on the full moon of the 15th of Av it became clear that forgiveness has been granted: the pestilence has at last ceased. In the history of Judaism, this event is noted as the Day of Atonement for the sins of the spies.
The Talmud also lists other joyful events that took place on the full moon day of the month of Av. Then the last defenders of the fortress of Beitar were buried, the Israeli king Hosea again allowed his subjects to visit Jerusalem, and on the 15th of Av, on the day of “breaking the axes”, the preparation of firewood for the altar of the Temple ended.
All this in itself served as an occasion for feasts and rejoicing, but what does love have to do with it? What is the romantic story behind the name of the holiday?
The customs and traditions of the holiday
During the times described in the Torah, different things happened on earth with the inhabitants of Israel. In addition to religion, nothing connected them, the people, rather, looked like a “coalition” of 12 clans, each living on its own territory. At the same time, representatives of each of the tribes strictly followed their allotment of land, trying not to allow anyone else to settle on it. It was strictly forbidden for young people from different clans to marry. Only the Temple at Shilo remained the place where everyone met for negotiations on important issues and for holidays. For example, on the day of the grape harvest, Av 15, young people gathered in the vineyards, where they met and socialized. The girls arranged dances in the gardens that day. “Young man, lift your eyes and see who you will choose as your wife!” – as they would say at the same time. They borrowed their outfits – simple white dresses from each other, so as not to embarrass anyone and not create any external difference between a poor and rich bride.
Soon this day became a landmark for the Israelis due to the lifting of the ban on inter-clan marriages.
One day, several men from the tribe of Benjamin committed an offense for which representatives of other Jewish communities began to exterminate them, vowing never to give their daughters in marriage to Benjamin. The Israelis, unfortunately, practically completed the task set – they destroyed the cities of the “guilty” clan, and took all of its girls prisoner … But, in the end, they changed their minds, remembered the Tu B’Av holiday and sent the following message to their opponents: “15 Ava, when the girls go out for a walk in the vineyards of Shiloh, come and steal them and get married.” It is clear that the young beauties participating in the dances were also not averse to being stolen.
Thus was born a beautiful custom associated with the victory of love over prohibitions and conventions, and the decision of the elders marked the beginning of the long-awaited reunification of the Jewish people.