How long does Tisha B'Av last?

Tisha B'Av is the ninth day of the month of Av in the Jewish calendar and it is a period to remember the greatest form of calamities that came on the Jewish people in the past. Tisha B'Av is often referred to as the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. Tisha B'Av is usually characterized with the period of three weeks. These three weeks of mourning, fasting and praying start on the 17th of Tammuz and extend to the ninth day of the month of Av. In the English calendar, this period starts from Sunday July 21, 2019 to August 10, 2019.

Tisha B'Av is observed in remembrance of the destruction of the first and the second temples of Jerusalem. It also marks the period when the Israelites got the bad reports of the ten out of twelve people Moses sent to spy on the land of Canaan. This brought great fear into their hearts.

The remembrance of the Tisha B’Av for the Jewish people lasts over two days. To be more specific, the fasting and memory of this holiday last twenty-five hours. There are certain things that the Jewish people must or mustn’t do to rightfully remember the holiday according to the religious customs and traditions.

The main thing that can’t take place during these twenty-five hours is that the person can’t eat or drink anything, they can’t wash or bathe, they can’t put creams or oils on their skin, they can’t wear leather shoes, and they can’t have sex during those twenty-five hours. Certain instances could allow a Jewish person to eat or bathe based on their health status.