I am trying to understand what is the difference between "festa" and "vacanza" when they mean "holiday" (US term for a day in which most schools, stores and offices are closed because of a public celebration). I am aware of the other meanings of both words and I am not interested in them here.
From the relevant definitions of "festa" and "vacanza" in the Treccani dictionary, I infer the following:
- festa: used when focusing on the solenity/celebration or on the object of celebration
- vacanza: used when focusing on the period of rest
Examples:
- Il 25 aprile è vacanza in tutte le scuole (not "festa")
- Domani è vacanza (not "festa")
- Domani è la festa della mamma (not "vacanza")
- Ci sono 15 feste religiose/nazionali durante l'anno. ("not vacanze")
Is that right or is there some overlap between both words?
