Tisha B’Av 2027 begins at sundown on Wednesday, August 11, 2027, and ends at nightfall on Thursday, August 12, 2027. The day marks the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem and is kept as a fast.
Tisha B’Av is the ninth day of the month of Av, and it is called “the major day of communal mourning in the Jewish calendar.”
It is the second full fast of the Jewish year after Yom Kippur, with the same five restrictions, and it is the one holiday that is deliberately uncomfortable: mourners read the Book of Lamentations, sit low, and avoid the greetings and pleasantries of an ordinary day.
It also moves when it collides with Shabbat, which is why 2029 falls on 10 Av rather than 9 Av.
This page covers the dates through 2030, what the day commemorates, where sources differ on the years, the fast, and the three weeks of mourning that lead up to it.
Table of Contents
When is Tisha B’Av?
Tisha B’Av 2027 begins at sundown on Wednesday, August 11, 2027, and ends at nightfall on Thursday, August 12, 2027.
| Year | Begins at sundown | Ends at nightfall | Hebrew date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Wednesday, July 22, 2026 | Thursday, July 23, 2026 | 9 Av 5786 |
| 2027 | Wednesday, August 11, 2027 | Thursday, August 12, 2027 | 9 Av 5787 |
| 2028 | Monday, July 31, 2028 | Tuesday, August 1, 2028 | 9 Av 5788 |
| 2029 | Saturday, July 21, 2029 | Sunday, July 22, 2029 | 10 Av 5789 |
| 2030 | Wednesday, August 7, 2030 | Thursday, August 8, 2030 | 9 Av 5790 |
Why 2029 falls on 10 Av
The fast is never kept on Shabbat, so when 9 Av falls on a Saturday it moves to the next day. Hebcal states the rule directly: “Tisha B’Av is never observed on Shabbat; if the 9th of Av falls on Saturday, the fast is postponed until the 10th of Av.” Chabad gives the same rule, noting that the fast is “delayed by one day.”
In 2029, 9 Av falls on Saturday, July 21, so the fast begins at sundown that evening and runs through Sunday, July 22, 2029, which is 10 Av.
What is Tisha B’Av?
Tisha B’Av commemorates the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem, along with other disasters in Jewish history. Hebcal describes it as marking “the destruction of both the First Temple and the Second Temple in Jerusalem, which occurred about 655 years apart on the same Hebrew calendar date.”
Britannica calls it “a traditional day of mourning in Judaism that falls on the 9th of Av, in July or August,” marking the two destructions “as well as many other calamities in the history of the Jews and Judaism.”
The years given for the destructions
Sources give different years for when each Temple fell. The traditional Jewish chronology and the conventional academic dating do not match, and both appear on reference sites.
| Source | First Temple | Second Temple |
|---|---|---|
| Chabad | “burned by the Babylonians in 423 BCE” | “fell to the Romans in 69 CE” |
| My Jewish Learning | 586 BCE | 70 CE |
The Hebrew date is the same in both accounts. What differs is how the years are counted back, which is why a page citing Chabad and a page citing a general reference work can both be quoting their sources correctly.
Other events remembered on the day
Later expulsions were also folded into the day. Chabad lists “the 1290 expulsion of England’s Jews” and “the 1492 banishment of all Jews from Spain” among the events remembered on Tisha B’Av, which is why Hebcal describes the observance as having grown “to encompass other major tragedies throughout Jewish history.”
The fast and the five prohibitions
Tisha B’Av carries the same five restrictions as Yom Kippur, and the fast runs from sundown to nightfall the next day.
Chabad states that “the fast begins at sunset of the 8th of Av and concludes at nightfall the following night,” and lists the prohibitions: “We do not eat or drink, wear leather footwear, bathe or wash ourselves, apply ointments or creams, engage in marital relations or any form of intimacy.”
| Prohibition | What it covers |
|---|---|
| 1 | Eating and drinking |
| 2 | Wearing leather footwear |
| 3 | Bathing or washing |
| 4 | Applying ointments or creams |
| 5 | Marital relations and intimacy |
Sources describe the length slightly differently. Hebcal calls it a 25-hour fast, while Britannica describes “a 24-hour fast.” The difference is the extra time added at each end rather than a disagreement about the day.
| Source | Stated length |
|---|---|
| Hebcal | 25-hour fast |
| Britannica | “24-hour fast” |
Anyone whose health would be at risk should ask a doctor before fasting, as on any fast day.
How Tisha B’Av is observed
The evening service is followed by the chanting of the Book of Lamentations. Chabad states that “evening prayers are followed by the chanting of Eichah (Lamentations).” My Jewish Learning describes the same practice: “the Book of Lamentations and other dirges are read in the synagogue.”
| Observance | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Eichah, Lamentations | Chanted after evening prayers | Chabad |
| Kinot, dirges | Read in the synagogue alongside Lamentations | My Jewish Learning |
| Low seating | The meal before the fast is “eaten alone, sitting on a low stool” | Chabad |
| Break fast | Traditionally includes “neither meat nor wines” | My Jewish Learning |
The Three Weeks and the Nine Days
Tisha B’Av is the end point of a three-week mourning period that deepens in its final nine days. My Jewish Learning describes “a three week period of low-level mourning” leading to the day, and notes that “the last nine days of these three weeks culminating in Tisha B’Av are an even deeper period of mourning, during which traditional Jews avoid eating meat.”
| Stage | 2027 | 2028 |
|---|---|---|
| Seventeenth of Tammuz, the Three Weeks begin | Thursday, July 22, 2027 | Tuesday, July 11, 2028 |
| The Nine Days begin, 1 Av | Wednesday, August 4, 2027 | Monday, July 24, 2028 |
| Tisha B’Av | Thursday, August 12, 2027 | Tuesday, August 1, 2028 |
Tisha B’Av and Yom Kippur compared
The two full fasts of the Jewish year share their restrictions but not their mood. The table compares them.
| Attribute | Tisha B’Av | Yom Kippur |
|---|---|---|
| Hebrew date | 9 Av, or 10 Av when 9 Av is Shabbat | 10 Tishrei |
| 2027 date | Thursday, August 12, 2027 | Monday, October 11, 2027 |
| Theme | Mourning for the Temples and later disasters | Atonement and repentance |
| Restrictions | The same five | The same five |
| Kept on Shabbat? | Never; the fast moves to the next day | Yes, when 10 Tishrei falls on Shabbat |
| Signature service | Chanting of Lamentations after evening prayers | Kol Nidre, before the fast begins |
What Tisha B’Av is not
Tisha B’Av is not a holiday in the celebratory sense, and no festive greeting fits it. It is not one of the minor fasts that run from dawn to nightfall either, such as the Fast of Esther before Purim: Tisha B’Av starts the evening before and runs a full day.
It is not fixed to a Gregorian date, so it can fall in July or August depending on the year. Finally, 9 Av is not always the day of the fast: when it lands on Shabbat, as in 2029, the fast moves to 10 Av.
Frequently asked questions
When is Tisha B’Av 2027?
Tisha B’Av 2027 begins at sundown on Wednesday, August 11, 2027, and ends at nightfall on Thursday, August 12, 2027, according to Hebcal. The Hebrew date is 9 Av 5787. The fast runs about a full day, and the Book of Lamentations is chanted after the evening service.
What is Tisha B’Av?
Tisha B’Av is the ninth day of Av and the major day of communal mourning in the Jewish holidays calendar, according to My Jewish Learning. It commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, which Hebcal notes fell on the same Hebrew date about 655 years apart, along with later disasters in Jewish history.
How long is the Tisha B’Av fast?
Hebcal describes a 25-hour fast, while Britannica describes a 24-hour fast. Chabad states that the fast begins at sunset on the eve of 9 Av and ends at nightfall the following night. In 2027 that runs from sundown on Wednesday, August 11 to nightfall on Thursday, August 12.
What are the restrictions on Tisha B’Av?
Chabad lists five: no eating or drinking, no leather footwear, no bathing or washing, no ointments or creams, and no marital relations or intimacy. They are the same five that apply on Yom Kippur. The meal before the fast is eaten alone, sitting on a low stool.
Why is Tisha B’Av on the 10th of Av in 2029?
Because 9 Av falls on Shabbat that year. Hebcal states that Tisha B’Av “is never observed on Shabbat; if the 9th of Av falls on Saturday, the fast is postponed until the 10th of Av.” In 2029 the fast therefore begins at sundown on Saturday, July 21 and ends at nightfall on Sunday, July 22.
What are the Three Weeks and the Nine Days?
The Three Weeks are a period of low-level mourning that begins on the seventeenth of Tammuz and ends with Tisha B’Av, according to My Jewish Learning. The final nine days, from 1 Av, are a deeper period in which traditional Jews avoid eating meat. In 2027 the Three Weeks begin on Thursday, July 22.
When were the Temples destroyed?
Sources differ on the years. Chabad states that the First Temple was burned by the Babylonians in 423 BCE and the Second Temple fell to the Romans in 69 CE, following traditional Jewish chronology. My Jewish Learning gives 586 BCE and 70 CE, the conventional academic dating. Both place the destructions on the same Hebrew date, 9 Av.
Sources:
