Perhaps this phenomenon can be understood with the help of the following story:
A maskil, a freethinker, once found himself hosted by the Rabbi of the town. The Rov, who had experienced the negative results of the anti-religious sentiments of the maskil, was decidedly cold and inhospitable. “I don’t understand you”, the maskil inquired of the Rabbi, “aren’t you supposed to be an observant Jew? What happened to your hachnosas orchim?”
The Rov turned to his guest and replied: “We learn the guidelines of hospitality from our holy Shabbos, who has various standards for treating her guests. When Chanuka or Purim arrive on a Shabbos, the Shabbos is a most gracious host, offering them choice parts of the leining and davening. When it’s a Rosh Chodesh that arrives on Shabbos, why then the Shabbos turns over the entire Musaf shmoneh esreh to the guest. And if it’s such an illustrious guest as a Yom Tov, why then the Shabbos turns over even the shacharis shmoneh esreh to her guest, keeping nothing for herself.
But if an unwelcome guest such as Tisha B’Av should arrive on a Shabbos, why then the Shabbos is decidedly inhospitable, telling the guest to please leave, and go instead to some other day!”
Indeed, there is an undeniable difference between the minhogimn of Rosh Hashonoh, or Chanukah, and the minhogim of Tisha B’Av. For while all other Yomim Tovim are welcome guests, for whom we ready ourselves joyously, eagerly awaiting their arrival, the “Yom Tov” of Tisha B’Av is a decidedly unwelcome guest in a Jewish home, one who’s presence we would be glad to do without.
While Purim is heralded by weeks of preparation and planning and shopping sprees, for mishloach manos and costumes and special theme-oriented seudas Purim supplies, it hardly seems fitting to go on a month-in-advance shopping spree to make sure we are well supplied with kinos and low stools and candles (and of course berelach) etc. While a bookshelf in a Jewish home may boast a whole section of Pesach material of all sorts, it hardly seems appropriate to show off our beautiful kinos editions and other Tisha B’Av paraphernalia.
In fact, many Tzaddikim and Chassidim were known to discard (in sheimos of course) their kinnos immediately after Tisha B’av, although it meant that they ended up purchasing a new one each year. At the end of Tisha B’Av it was unthinkable that the coming Tisha B’Av would be again spent in golus! If, to our great sorrow, another Av arrives with us still in a sorry state of exile, why, we will again observe Tisha B’Av according to all of the prescribed halachos and minhogim. But surely it’s not a day that we await or anticipate in any way.
