Having a Meal on Erev Shabbat

From Halachipedia
  1. One may not make a festive meal on Friday which one wouldn't normally have during the week. [1]
  2. A Brit Milah or Pidyon HaBen which fell out on Friday one may make a feast. [2] However, it is preferable to make the meal in the morning. [3]
  3. Similarly, a wedding which took place on Friday may be accompanied by a feast. However, it's preferable to push off the feast until Shabbat or another day. [4]
  4. One should not make a feast for an engagement party on Friday. [5]

Having a meal after the 9th hour

  1. One should refrain from beginning a meal which is normal during the week from the 9th hour (Shaot Zmaniot) in the day. [6]
  2. In the winter months when the Shaot Zmaniot are short one should refrain from having a meal too close to Shabbat so that if one has a meal one will still have an appetite going into Shabbat. [7]

References

  1. S"A 249:2. The Shulchan Aruch's reason to forbid the festive meal is that it takes away from Kavod Shabbat as one should go into Shabbat with an appetite. The Mishna Brurah 249:10 quotes another reason; if one is involved in preparing a festive meal it'll prevent one from preparing for Shabbat.
  2. Rama 249:2. Mishna Brurah 249:12 adds that even if the Brit Milah is not on the 8th day because the child was sick or a Pidyon HaBen which was not performed on the 30th day, nonetheless the feast may be held on Friday.
  3. Mishna Brurah 249:13
  4. Mishna Brurah 249:9
  5. S"A 249:2 writes that one should not make a feast even for an engagement which is a seudat mitzvah. However, the Mishna Brurah 249:9 writes that this is only true if the engagement took place on a different day however, if the engagement actually took place on Friday the feast may be held. Nonetheless, the Mishna Brurah concludes that the engagements that we perform nowadays are not halachically binding as they were in the times of the gemara and so it's not considered a seudat mitzvah which would permit a feast on Friday.
  6. S"A 249:2
  7. Mishna Brurah 249:16