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Tish'a B'Av: What To Do after 12 Noon
After halachic midday on Tish'a B'Av, you may do any activities except the five activities forbidden on Tish'a B'Av (washing, anointing, eating/drinking, marital intercourse, wearing leather shoes) or the Nine Days.  But you may not greet anyone, or reply to someone else's greeting to you, including saying “hello,” “good morning,” “how are you,” etc., until after dark.
Tish'a B'Av: What To Do until 12 Noon
Activities for Tish'a B'Av until halachic midday:
  • Thinking: Until halachic midday, you should do things and think about things that will keep you in bad spirits or will make you sad.
  • Sitting: You may not sit on any kind of seat that is higher than 12 inches (30 cm) above the floor or ground until after halachic midday.
 
Tish'a B'Av: Tefilin
Tish'a b'Av is similar to the day of burial of a person and so tefilin are not worn in the morning. The afternoon has a lower level of mourning and so tefilin (and talit gadol) are worn at mincha.
Tish'a B'Av: Teeth Brushing
On Tish'a b'Av, you may not brush your teeth using water.  You may use a dry toothbrush. You may floss your teeth.
Tish'a B'Av: Hand Washing
On Tish'a B'Av, as on Yom Kippur, if you must wash your hands to remove:
  • Tum'a, you may wash your hands only up to the knuckle that connects your fingers to the rest of your hand (thumb: second knuckle; fingers: third knuckle).
  • Dirt from your hand, you may wash wherever the dirt is on your hand.
 
Tish'a B'Av: Flying
You should not fly on Tish'a b'Av, even if you are flying to Israel to make aliya.
 
Tish'a B'Av: On Saturday Night
When Tish'a B'Av begins on Saturday night, the custom is as follows:
  • Say baruch ha'mavdil when Shabbat ends. 
  • Say the blessing on the candle after ma'ariv.
  • Do not say the remainder of havdala at all. Instead:
    • Wait until Sunday night, after the fast is over, and then
    • Say only the blessing on the wine and the paragraph of ha'mavdil blessings.
Note You will not say the blessings on the spices for havdala for that week.
Tish'a B'Av: Pre-Fast Meal
You may say birkat ha'mazon with a mezuman or with a minyan during the Nine Days.  But you may not do so at the meal preceding Tish'a b'Av (se'uda ha'mafseket).
Reason Only bread dipped in ashes and a hard-boiled egg should be eaten and that is not a meal for socializing or togetherness.
Tzitzit: Blessings: Tish'a B'Av
On Tish'a B'Av, say a blessing on tzitzit in the morning as always.
Seventeenth of Tamuz to Tish'a B'Av: Three Stages of Mourning
Before Tish'a b'Av we are in a type of mourning so the laws are similar to mourning for a parent. There are three stages:
The “Three Weeks”: The least severe stage starts three weeks preceding the Ninth of Av
The “Nine Days”:  The next-most severe stage begins on Rosh Chodesh Av.
“Week” of Tish'a b'Av:  The most severe mourning is during the “week” of Tish'a b'Av (beginning after Shabbat preceding Tish'a b'Av).
Nine Days: Restrictions
Restrictions during the Nine Days before Tish'a b'Av are the same as for Three Weeks, plus:
  • You may not eat meat or drink wine.
    Exceptions
    1. You may drink wine on Shabbat (but not on Rosh Chodesh Av or erev Shabbat.)
    2. You may drink wine for havdala (but ideally give the wine or grape juice to a child between ages 6 and 10).  
    3. You may eat meat or drink wine at a brit, siyum, or pidyon ha'ben.
  • You may not wear freshly laundered clothes, or wear or buy new clothes.
  NOTE You may wear clean socks and underwear. Ideally, throw them on the floor
  first but, b'di'avad, it is OK to wear them even if you did not.
  • You may not wash yourself for pleasure.
    Note Showering or bathing to clean one's soiled body is permitted (except on Tish'a b'Av).  So you may bathe or shower during the Nine Days if you are dirty, sweaty, or smelly.
  • You may not do any activities that involve luxury.
  • You may not say she'hecheyanu except on Shabbat.
    Note Therefore you should not buy new fruits or new items that you will enjoy during the Nine Days.  But if you DO eat a new fruit or buy something new, you must say she'hecheyanu anyway.
Brit Mila: Fast Day
If a brit mila is performed on Tish'a b'Av or other fast days, the meal (se'udat mitzva) is held after the fast ends. On a delayed fast day, the sandak, mohel, and father of the boy who is having the brit may eat after mincha.
Yom Kippur: Washing To Remove Tum'a
On Yom Kippur (as on Tish'a b'Av), if you must wash your hands to remove:
  • Tum'a: You may wash your hands only up to the knuckle that connects your fingers to the rest of your hand (thumb: second knuckle; fingers: third knuckle).
  • Dirt from your hand: You may wash wherever the dirt is on your hand.
 
Three Weeks: Dangerous Activities
We are discouraged from doing dangerous activities during the Three Weeks before and including Tish'a b'Av.  But since it is forbidden to do dangerous activities anyway, there are few relevant activities that are forbidden. Some people do not travel during this time but it is not forbidden to do so. Non-urgent surgery should be scheduled for after this period.
Shacharit: Tachanun: When Not To Say
Tachanun is related to judgment. Tachanun is NOT said at times of din/judgment:
  • At night,
  • On Tish'a B'Av,
  • In a house of mourning, and
  • Yom Kippur.
Tachanun is also NOT said at times of simcha/happiness:
At mincha before (and certainly not on):
  • Shabbat,
  • Jewish festivals,
  • Rosh Hashana, and
  • Rosh Chodesh.
At any prayer service on:
  • Isru chag (the day after each of the Jewish festivals),
  • Entire month of Nisan.
           Reason   Nisan has more than 15 days that we omit tachanun, and once we omit it for most of the month, we don't say it at all.
  • All of Chanuka, Purim, Shushan Purim, Tu B'Shvat, Rosh Chodesh, and from Rosh Chodesh Sivan until the day after Shavuot.
  • Tishrei from shacharit before Yom Kippur until after Simchat Torah (Shmini Atzeret in Eretz Yisrael). Resume saying tachanun:
    • Second day of Cheshvan, or
    • Day after isru chag of Simchat Torah (this is the more prevalent custom among Ashkenazim). Each person should follow his or her family or community custom.
Any time these people are present in your minyan (or in any other minyan in the building) either before a circumcision or while still involved in the brit or meal:
  • Mohel,
  • Sandak, or
  • Father of a boy having his circumcision.
       Note This even applies to mincha if the brit will take place after mincha.
 
Any time a groom is present during the first week after marriage.