Nine Days and Tisha B'Av
It is customary for Jews to refrain from eating meat during the nine days (Tishat HaYamim) leading up to Tisha B'Av. Tisha B'Av - the ninth day of the Jewish calendar month of Av - is a day of mourning and fasting. On this day, Jews remember the destruction of The First Temple in 586 BCE, the destruction of The Second Temple in 70 CE, as well as other tragedies suffered by Jews in the past.