No Holiday As Joyous Tu B’Av (The Fifteenth of Av) is no longer
the well-known holiday on the Jewish calendar that it was in
ancient times. In fact, in Talmudic times it was said: “There
were no holidays so joyous for the Jewish People as the
Fifteenth of Av…” (Ta’anit 26b). On Tu B’Av, the unmarried
maidens of Jerusalem would go out to the vineyards to dance
together under the gaze of the unmarried men (sort of a Sadie
Hawkins Day!). Each young lady would be dressed in white
clothing borrowed from her neighbor so that those who came from
wealthy families would not stand out and none would be
embarrassed. As they danced, the ladies would call out: “Young
man, lift your eyes and choose wisely. Don’t look only at
physical beauty–look rather at the family [values], ‘For charm
is false, and beauty is deceitful. A God-fearing woman is the
one to be praised…’” (Proverbs 31:30). While in ancient times
the same ceremony also took place on Yom Kippur, the day of Tu
B’Av was specifically set aside for this celebration