People do make siyumim and whatnot during this period, and abstaining from meat is not strictly Talmudically required in this period (Oral Torah Judaism demands that during shavua shechal bo, one may not cut one’s hair or do laundry- mTa’anit 4:7, and a beraita in bYevamot 43a also forbids nesuin during shevua shechal bo. While the other customs of mourning may not share the same force of law, some common practices are nevertheless based on rabbinic sources, and would include not eating meat or drinking wine. To quote one of my teachers, “Because of the rabbinic designation of these activities as “simha” most Jews avoid the above activities during the nine days where possible. But note that the Mishnaic idiom “me-ma’atin” – to minimize – is more of a discouragement than an outright prohibition. For a parallel, Rav contrasts the roles of simha for Av with its role for the month of Adar and Purim: “Just as when Av enters we minimize simha, so too when Adar comes we increase (marbin) be-simha” (bTa’anit 29a-29b). There is no source, to my knowledge, which states that one must eat meat, drink wine, buy new clothing or get married during the month of Adar because the word “marbin” does not mean one is obligated to do any of these things, only that one should do more than usual. Similarly, while not doing any of the above actions would certainly be considered me-ma’atin, such an extreme is not required during the nine days (excluding that which is prohibited during shavua shehal bo.”)
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