Summer usually means beach trips and ice cream. For the Jewish community, though, the heat of mid-summer brings a sharp pivot into collective grief. People often find themselves scrambling to check their calendars because the date shifts every single year on the Gregorian side of things. If you are wondering when do the nine days start, the answer is anchored to the Hebrew month of Av. Specifically, they begin on the first day of the month, Rosh Chodesh Av.
In 2026, this lands at sundown on Friday, July 24.
This isn't just a random date on a dusty scroll. It marks the final, most intense leg of a three-week mourning period known as Bein ha-Metzarim, or "Between the Straits." It starts with a fast in the month of Tammuz and culminates in the total fast of Tisha B'Av. During these nine days, the atmosphere shifts. It gets heavy. You’ll see observant Jews avoiding meat, skipping the pool, and even putting off doing laundry. It sounds intense because it is.
The Calendar Math Behind the Nine Days
The Jewish calendar is lunisolar. That basically means it’s a giant celestial puzzle. While the Gregorian calendar follows the sun, the Hebrew calendar tracks the moon but adjusts for the seasons. This is why Hanukkah sometimes hits during American Thanksgiving and other times creeps close to New Year's. For the mourning period, we are looking at the "Low Period" of the Jewish year.
The countdown starts on the 17th of Tammuz. That’s a fast day marking when the walls of Jerusalem were first breached. But the real "vibe shift" happens when the new moon of Av appears. From that moment—Rosh Chodesh—until the 9th of Av (Tisha B'Av), the restrictions tighten significantly.
Historically, this month is considered "bad luck," though the sages would call it a time of "diminished joy." You aren't just marking one event. You’re mourning the destruction of both the First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BCE and the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 CE. Toss in the expulsion from Spain in 1492 and the approval of the "Final Solution" during the Holocaust, and you start to see why the start of Av feels like a dark cloud for many.
🔗 Read more: Chuck E. Cheese in Boca Raton: Why This Location Still Wins Over Parents
What Actually Happens When the Nine Days Start?
Once the sun sets and the new month begins, the "standard" rules of the Three Weeks get an upgrade. If you’ve been avoiding live music or getting a haircut since Tammuz, now you’re adding dietary and lifestyle changes to the mix.
The No-Meat Rule
Wine and meat are out. They are symbols of joy and temple sacrifices. Since we are mourning the loss of the Temple, eating a steak feels... wrong, according to the tradition. Most families switch to "Nine Days Salmon" or massive quantities of pasta. Honestly, it’s a goldmine for vegetarian recipe bloggers. The only exception? Shabbat. On the Sabbath, the mourning is paused. You bring out the brisket and the wine because mourning on a holy day of joy is actually forbidden.
Water and Laundry
This is where it gets granular. Many Jews avoid swimming or even taking long, hot baths for pleasure. It’s about "diminishing pleasure." Then there’s the laundry. It is customary not to wash clothes or wear freshly laundered garments during this window. People often "prepare" by wearing outfits for half an hour before the nine days start so they aren't technically "fresh" when worn later. It’s a logistical nightmare for parents with toddlers, let’s be real.
Why the Timing Matters More Than You Think
You might wonder why we need nine days. Isn't one day of fasting enough?
The Talmudic logic is that grief should be a gradient. You don’t just wake up one day and feel the weight of 2,000 years of exile. You ease into it. You start with the Three Weeks (the 17th of Tammuz). Then you hit the Nine Days (1st of Av). Then you hit the "Week of" Tisha B'Av, which has even stricter local customs. Finally, you reach the 9th of Av, where you sit on the floor and cry.
💡 You might also like: The Betta Fish in Vase with Plant Setup: Why Your Fish Is Probably Miserable
It’s psychological. It’s a slow burn.
Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, a massive figure in 20th-century Jewish thought, often compared this to the stages of mourning for a relative. You have the shiva (seven days), the shloshim (thirty days), and the year. The Jewish calendar does this in reverse. We start with a little bit of mourning and get more intense as the anniversary of the destruction approaches.
Common Misconceptions About the Start Date
- It starts on Tisha B'Av. Nope. That's the end. The nine days are the lead-up.
- The restrictions are the same for everyone. Not quite. Sephardic Jews (from Spanish/Middle Eastern descent) and Ashkenazi Jews (Eastern European) have different "start" points for certain rules. Many Sephardic communities only observe the meat and laundry restrictions during the actual week of Tisha B'Av, whereas Ashkenazim start right at the beginning of the month.
- You can't shower at all. It’s not about being dirty. It’s about luxury. Cold showers for hygiene are generally okay; a spa-like soak in a Jacuzzi is definitely not.
Navigating the 2026 Timeline
If you are planning a wedding or a big move, you need to know these dates well in advance. In 2026, the timeline looks like this:
The fast of the 17th of Tammuz falls on July 2. This kicks off the Three Weeks. You’ll notice your Jewish friends might stop going to concerts or buying new clothes around this time.
Then, the big shift: Friday, July 24. That is Rosh Chodesh Av. From this Friday night through the next week, the "Nine Days" are in full swing.
📖 Related: Why the Siege of Vienna 1683 Still Echoes in European History Today
The climax is Tisha B'Av, which begins the night of Saturday, August 1, and continues through Sunday, August 2. Because it starts on a Saturday night this year, the fast is actually "pushed" ( Nidche ) from the Sabbath to Sunday. This creates a unique set of laws regarding when the mourning ends. Usually, you wait until the next afternoon to eat meat, but when the fast is pushed, some of those restrictions lift sooner.
Expert Perspective: The Modern Relevance
In a world that prizes "moving on" and "toxic positivity," the Nine Days are an anomaly. They force a pause. Historian Dr. Lawrence Schiffman has noted that these dates are the glue of Jewish national memory. Without the specific, picky rules about laundry and meat, the memory of the Temple would have faded into a vague myth centuries ago.
By asking when do the nine days start, you aren't just asking for a date. You are asking when the community enters a shared headspace of reflection. It's about remembering that things aren't "fixed" yet.
Actionable Steps for the Nine Days
If you are observing for the first time or just trying to support someone who is, here is how to handle the transition:
- Meal Prep Early: If you follow the Ashkenazi custom, stock up on frozen fish, lentils, and eggs before the 1st of Av. Trying to find a table at a dairy restaurant during the Nine Days is like trying to get a table on Valentine's Day. It’s chaos.
- The "Pre-Wear" Strategy: On the day before the 1st of Av (this would be Thursday night or Friday morning in 2026), briefly wear the shirts or pants you plan to use during the week. This satisfies the custom of not wearing "freshly laundered" clothes.
- Check Your Music: If you usually listen to upbeat playlists, switch to podcasts, audiobooks, or a capella music. Most people stop listening to instrumental music once the month starts.
- Avoid Danger: There is a mystical/traditional idea that this time is "prone to calamity." While you don't need to live in a bubble, many people avoid high-risk activities like skydiving or elective surgeries during this window.
- Focus on "Baseless Love": The tradition says the Temple was destroyed because of Sinat Chinam (baseless hatred). The best way to "counter" the mourning is to go out of your way to be kind.
The Nine Days end with the fast of Tisha B'Av, but the transition back to "normal" life is also gradual. By the time the 10th of Av rolls around, the focus shifts toward comfort and the upcoming High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It’s a cycle of breaking down and rebuilding. Knowing exactly when that cycle starts is the first step in participating in one of the oldest traditions of collective memory in the world.