buone feste
feminine, plural
buone feste is the Italian way to say happy holidays.
buone feste is used as a general greeting to wish someone a happy holiday season. For a more professional setting, you can use the expression Auguri di buone feste. If you want to be more specific or heartfelt, other options include Tanti Auguri di buon Natale e felice anno nuovo (Many wishes for a Merry Christmas and a happy new year), Pace e gioia in queste festività (Peace and joy during these holidays) or Auguroni per le vacanze (Big wishes for the holidays).
Meaning: holiday greeting (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the feminine plural adjective buone (good) and the feminine plural noun feste (holidays/festivities/celebrations).
Which one should you use?
While buone feste covers the entire holiday season, buon Natale is used specifically to wish someone a Merry Christmas. To wish someone a happy new year specifically, you would use buon anno.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase buone feste is feminine and plural. When transitioning from this general greeting to a specific New Year greeting, you use the masculine singular form buon anno.
When do people say it?
For a direct Christmas greeting, one says Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo (Merry Christmas and a happy new year).
Did you know?
- The word auguri comes from the Latin augur, a religious official who interpreted the flight of birds to predict the future.
- In Italy, the period covered by buone feste traditionally extends until l'Epifania (The Epiphany) on January 6th, rather than ending on New Year's Day.
- The expression Auguroni uses a common Italian tactic of adding the suffix '-oni' to a word to express great warmth or emphasis, turning a simple 'wishes' into 'big, heartfelt wishes'.
Examples in context
- Buone feste.Happy holidays.Tatoeba #4568581 by Guybrush88, translation #2044389 by CK
- Buone feste!Happy holidays!Tatoeba #4948325 by Guybrush88, translation #2167977 by morgyn
- Vi auguro buone feste a tutti.I wish you all happy holidays.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Matteo are saying goodbye at a holiday party.
- MatteoGrazie per la serata, Giulia.Thanks for the evening, Giulia.
- GiuliaPrego, Matteo! Buone feste!You're welcome, Matteo! Happy holidays!
- MatteoAnche a te!To you too!
- GiuliaCi vediamo presto.See you soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “happy holidays” translations and entries buone feste, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
