In Exodus 12:16: "On the first day...and on theseventh day shall be a holy concovation for you, no work may be done on them, except what must be eaten for any person..." Unlike the Sabbath, the festivals, Passover, Shavuot and Succot (and Rosh Hashana) all have in common that we are allowed to cook on these occasions, and also carry food (and other necessities) outside into the public thoroughfare. Is it a lower level of holiness than the Sabbath. Chassidus teaches that on the Sabbath all the physicality loses a part of its realness.
A certain component of G-d's creative force is removed from creation only to be renewed and drawn down again in greater force when the Sabbath goes out. This is why the Sabbath is the source of blessing for all the days of the week. This is why we desist from certain creative labors on the Sabbath to reflect the creative force of G-d which is withdrawn. Our rest is parallel to G-d's "rest".
Is the festival any different? No, what is different on the festival is there is also a commandment to be joyful. Deuteronomy 16:14-15 "...You shall rejoice on the festival...and you will be completely joyous." It is this commandment to be joyous to connect the physical body with the spiritual elation of the soul that requires us to be able to make additional food and carry it outside. For the ultimate joy is in sitting together with our fellow Jews with harmony and love, and the way we do this is with the meals. On the festivals, no one can go hungry because all the Jews are sitting together and whoever needs to eat should be able to find a place for this is the occasion of the year where we have the feel the ultimate goodness of the world, G-d creation, all the way down to our physical bodies.
(Based on a Sicha of the Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe)
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