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Happy Tu B’Av! This may not be an official holiday anymore, but why missout?  The question is how does one celebrate Tu B’Av?

Originally, unmarried women marked the holiday by dressing in borrowed white clothing (so as to diminish distinctions between the rich and the poor) and dancing together. The unmarried men of the city could pick brides from among them, and were urged through traditional songs to pick based on the family and piety of the girl.

Dancing around in white probably isn’t the best way to find a date these days. We do have a similar forum, though. It’s called the internet. Of course, the whole process has gotten a lot more complicated in the past couple of centuries.

• Or maybe not. This New York Times article describes some new dating websites that seem to be more similar to the old Tu B’Av way of meeting singles than JDate or eHarmony.
• Fifty First (J) Dates is one woman’s witty accounts of her experience using the popular Jewish dating website. Read it for her dating advice, keep reading for the laughs. If her stories sound painfully familiar, you can share your own online dating experiences on JDaters Anonymous.
• Speaking of laughs, have you heard about Geri Brin, the woman who started a dating site that caters to parents trying to find a match for their kids? (Don’t even think about it, Mom.)
• Need tips on how to woo a date before your Mom feels she needs to get involved? Check out this fun Tu B’Av video from Alef NEXT.
• If you’d rather spend the day wallowing (hey, I’m not judging), head over to this Tablet Magazine article  with some of the best break-up songs written by Jews. You probably shouldn’t listen to them all in one go unless you have a ready supply of chocolate.

“But wait!” You say, “I’ve already got a boyfriend/girlfriend/fiancé/spouse/bubbala!”  In that case, celebrating Tu B’Av will be easy. There’s a reason they call it the Jewish Valentine’s day, after all. You can’t go wrong with roses and a box of chocolates, assuming your S.O. doesn’t have any major pollen or dairy issues. I’m sure you’ll think of something by Monday.

So, one more time: Happy Tu B’Av. Have a great one.