It's Tu B'Av! Party like it's 5783, or Celebrating the Jewish Day of Romance

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Gabriel levered himself off the sofa and came up behind her, watching her busy, efficient hands in the mirror as she arranged the lace at her throat to hide the whisker marks on her neck. He peered solemnly into the glass and sighed. “I am so beautiful, and you are so smart. We will make wonderful children together, querida.”

A smile quirked her cool lips as she adjusted her spectacles. “Let us hope they inherit a bit of modesty from me, Mr. Lopez. Why do you say I am smart?”

He leaned forward and placed his lips just below her ear, a soft kiss that wouldn’t disarrange the lace or be noticed later. “You are smart because you agreed to marry me. Which makes me not only beautiful, but muy mazaloso,” he added in Ladino. “An extremely fortunate man."

--Captain Sinister's Lady 



Tuesday night and Wednesday (Jewish days begin at sundown) is Tu B'Av, the Jewish Day of Love. "Chag HaAhava" in Hebrew. What? You didn't know there was a Jewish holiday celebrating romantic love? There is, and it been observed for over 2,000 years, pre-dating the Common Era.

On Tu B'Av (the 15th day of the month of Av) in ancient Israel, young women would go to the vineyards and dance in white dresses, singing "Young man, consider whom you choose (to be your wife)". The girls would exchange white dresses prior to the dancing, so the rich girls weren't dressed finer than the poor girls. I also like that the women were courting the men here, taking the lead. Tu B'Av is always a night of the full moon in late summer since it's a lunar calendar, an excellent time for romance.

The holiday mostly fell off the radar for about 2,000 years during the Diaspora, but has had a resurgence in modern Israel where it's become akin to Valentine's Day. People dress in white, exchange small gifts like flowers or chocolates, and celebrate being in love. So when you look up at that full moon with your sweetie, you'll be sharing in a holiday that goes back centuries and is being carried on today, because there's nothing like celebrating romance!



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