Sustainability of Food Heritage in Birthday Rituals

Abstract

For the last decade, cultural heritage has been recognized as the fourth most important field of sustainability, but insufficient empirical research has focused on social participants’ intent to inherit intangible cultural capital. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study investigated the influence of cultural significance and successors’ perceptions of traditional foods served during landmark birthday rituals in South Korea. The results show that, while historical stability and instrumental healing are important cultural values for South Koreans, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, and a perceived female role affect the intention to preserve traditional food heritage for landmark birthdays. In addition, we examined the differences between genders and age groups in terms of the influence of perceived behavioral control and the perception of the female role and found that both impacts increased in the older group. The contributions to the field are discussed in terms of cultural sustainability and TPB, along with the managerial implications for policymakers.

1. Introduction

Since the late 1990s, sustainability has been linked to environmental, economic, and social equality and has been a prominent concern for academia and business [1]. Recently, cultural heritage has also received increased attention as the fourth pillar of sustainability [2]. The objective of sustaining cultural heritage is to preserve the vitality and locality of a country’s organic heritage, to harmonize cultural diversity and pluralism, and to strengthen the human aspects of the world [2]. Culture can be classified as physical capital (e.g., artwork, buildings) and intellectual capital (e.g., ideas, beliefs). Physical capital is readily accessible not only because there are inherited physical objects with high economic value but also because primary heirs are specifically designated by the government and global organizations. In contrast, intellectual capital primarily consists of intangible inheritance. Although this type of capital has low economic value, the weight of inheritance is passed down to individuals and families. Intellectual capital has attracted relatively little attention from academics and policymakers despite its importance. To increase interest in intellectual capital, UNESCO proposed the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2003. The Convention acknowledged traditional food heritage as a form of intangible cultural heritage that is passed down through generations in every region of the world. Food heritage encompasses numerous socio-cultural aspects that are generally unique to local social customs, such as knowledge, cooking techniques, eating and drinking methods, and food sharing practices.

Under the influence of globalization and IT in South Korea (Korea hereafter), industrialization and the nuclearization of the family system are rapidly changing. However, traditional ritual events, such as landmark birthday celebrations (e.g., the 1st, 60th, and 70th birthdays), still tend to adhere to traditional big family concepts, forms, and procedures, including the serving of traditional foods, with the way food is served and displayed being a significant part of family and local traditions. For example, Kao (2012) [3] found that most Korean migrants living in the United States and practicing Christianity continued to celebrate the first birthday in traditional ways due to the traditional influence of local Shamanism. Family and local heritage are shaped as older family members teach younger family members the significance of the values and cooking techniques of these traditional foods and rituals. Thus, traditional foods for family birthday rituals should be cherished and culturally significant [4]. That being said, sustaining intangible cultural heritage is challenging since these forms of intellectual capital include vague and broad objectives to sustain [4]. In traditional Korean birthday ceremonies, a wide variety of foods are required, and the preparation of these foods demands significant time, effort, and financial resources. Furthermore, these traditional rituals have historically imposed disproportionate burdens on women, making it challenging in modern society to assign the responsibility for preserving such traditions to any specific individual. Therefore, to ensure the continuation of important cultural capital, it is essential to conduct research on the factors and contexts that influence the intentions of individual members of society to sustain these traditions. Although a few studies have demonstrated the relationship between a particular sustainability cultural heritage, few studies have attempted to conceptualize the sustainability of intangible cultural heritage [4,5].

To fill this gap in the literature regarding the sustainability of cultural heritage, the current study adopted a quantitative and statistical methodology to investigate the relationships between social members’ perceptions and behavioral intentions toward traditional foods served as part of Korean birthday rituals. This study applied Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB) model as a theoretical backdrop to develop a hypothesized framework to explain the intention to sustain traditional food heritage for family birthday rituals. The TPB model, which views human behavior as a decision-making process, proposes several variables, including subjective norms and perceived control, that people rationally consider and which effectively influence how they act. Since its introduction in 1991, the TPB model has been the foundation for more than 4000 academic papers and has been applied to numerous major research fields, including psychology, policy, management, education, hotel management, and health [6]. Although few empirical studies have examined cultural sustainability, TPB has been widely applied to examine the usage or purchase intention of products and services that require social and environmental responsibility (e.g., [7,8,9]). TPB posits that people’s intentions are influenced by their evaluation of the subject of the decision (i.e., cultural values), normative beliefs regarding the normative expectations of important others surrounding them (i.e., subjective norms), and beliefs about control regarding their capability to control behavior (i.e., perceived behavioral control). These intentions ultimately lead to action. Using empirical evidence based on the well-established TPB model, the findings of this study contribute to the cultural heritage literature.

2. Present Study

2.1. Food Heritage in Birthday Rituals

In general, family rituals encompass all categories, including birthdays (e.g., landmark birthdays), celebrations reflecting ethnic characteristics (i.e., Jewish celebrations), unique traditions for individual families (e.g., summer holidays), and regularly patterned family interactions (e.g., mealtime, weekends) [10]. Family rituals also play an important role in improving couples’ marital satisfaction and happiness, as well as adolescents’ mental health. Family birthday rituals consist of unique and meaningful interactions that convey the beliefs and values of family members and foster belonging and social collective identity based on members’ mutual affection [10]. This study focuses on landmark birthday rituals in Korea, including the first birthday of a baby and the ten-year cycle birthdays of an elderly parent (e.g., 60th, 70th, 80th, and 90th birthdays). These landmark birthday celebrations are typically treated in a more distinguished manner than other birthday celebrations. They even have distinct names, such as “doljanchi” for the first birthday party and “sooyeon” for the 70th birthday.

Among the many components that make up a ritual, food is an important component that most clearly demonstrates the authenticity of the ritual. Although several components of landmark birthday rituals, such as the venue and decorations, have been Westernized, it is customary to serve the food in the traditional manner in Korea (Figure 1). Many researchers have noted that traditional foods, which are regarded as one of the most critical elements of birthday rites and rituals, are emblematic of traditional culture and demonstrate the continuity of past, present, and future experiences [10]. Serving traditional food is an expression of gratitude for the guests who accepted the invitation, but food also has the symbolic meaning of sending birthday blessings to the celebrant. Korean family ritual food originated from the Three Kingdoms period (57 B.C.–668 A.D.) and continues to be served on special occasions. The types of ritual foods were widely expanded during the Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392), and systematization of the foods was established during the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910). In the Korean family birthday ceremony shown in Figure 1, the celebrant (i.e., a baby or an elderly parent) sits behind an assortment of traditional foods and receives greetings and blessings from the invited guests. Traditional foods served at Korean birthday rituals convey respect for the parents, affection for the baby, and a wish for good health, which is common in most traditional rituals. The first birthday ritual traditionally includes noodles, various types of rice cakes, and fruits. The traditional meals of the 70th birthday ritual include a variety of meats and rare fish, as well as traditional desserts with wishes for parents’ longevity and prosperity and expressions of gratitude for their grace.

2.2. Cultural Values of Food Heritage in Birthday Rituals

The sustainability of society means that culture is transmitted to future generations in the form of vibrant cultural capital, such as traditions and heritage. These traditions retain value as capital regardless of monetary and economic worth. Cultural heritage includes lifestyles, teaching cultural information, and practical actions. Practicing and passing on cultural heritage improves the sustainability of society and communities by transmitting value-convergent knowledge across generations. Cultural heritage also includes values that communicate how people perceive the world, their philosophy, ethical perspectives, knowledge, and symbolic relationships. As a result, cultural heritage contributes to the sustainability of society. Duxbury and Jeannotte (2010) [1] proposed four roles of culture in fostering community sustainability: (1) using culture as capital; (2) demonstrating a process and a way of life; (3) promoting values; and (4) conveying creative expressions that provide insights related to environmental/sustainability issues.

In our context, Korean birthday food heritage plays several cultural roles. In addition to its origin dating back thousands of years, it also encompasses a way of life that carries capital value as an intangible cultural heritage and supports the sustainability of a society that gives birth to offspring and fosters parents. Many Korean families also create their own unique recipes and aesthetic displays that have special meaning regarding health, longevity, affection, and respect for the celebrants. Traditional birthday foods also express cultural values that are important in community culture. In the process of preparing food and rituals, these values are transmitted from past generations to new generations, thereby increasing the sustainability of society. Therefore, we considered the cultural value of traditional birthday foods as a major cultural variable that contributes to the vitality and sustainability of the Korean community.

The value of cultural heritage is multifaceted. Throsby (1999) [11] established a system to evaluate the value of cultural heritage from an economic perspective and incorporated aspects of cultural value that cannot be measured in monetary terms. For example, Throsby incorporated emotional (beauty and harmony), mental (inner characteristics that humanity shares), social (connection and identity), historical (the connection between past and present), symbolic (the essence of meaning transmitted), and authentic (originating from oneself) values.

Several studies have evaluated the cultural value of Korean food heritage. For instance, Rhee and Hwang (2017) [12] conducted in-depth interviews with 28 Korean traditional culture experts on the cultural value of Korean traditional foods to identify specific values such as family, giving and sharing, communication, well-being, life, nature, healing, slow food, sincerity, dignity, and privilege. They classified the values into the following four categories: social, instrumental, emotional, and sentimental. Choi et al. (2022) [13] also examined how Korean women perceived the cultural value of traditional rice cakes served at landmark birthday ceremonies. They identified multiple dimensions of the value of traditional foods, including authentic (the harmony of beautiful colors, the sincerity of the person who makes them), emotional (mental richness, peace of mind), social (solidarity with people, the expression of decency), and instrumental factors (healthy, environmentally friendly). Based on these studies, the present study suggests that the cultural values of the traditional food heritage used in family birthday rituals would be recognized as social, instrumental, emotional, and sentimental values and that it promotes the sustainability of traditional foods. Thus, we present our first hypothesis.

H1. 

The cultural values of food heritage in birthday rituals have a positive influence on the intention to sustain food heritage.

2.3. Subjective Norms

Subjective norm, a key variant of the TPB model, is a major variable with a strong influence on individuals’ behavior, especially in the social sciences. Subjective norm is defined as an individual’s perceptions of whether their behavior is acceptable within the communities to which they belong [9]. More specifically, the perceived subjective norm is recognizing whether one’s friends engage in similar behavior and whether important community groups such as friends, family, religious community members, and coworkers approve of the behavior [8]. When the subjective norm level is elevated, it can lead to social pressure that may regulate actions [7]. Fundamentally, human beings, as social animals, tend to engage in behaviors that are acceptable within the communities to which they belong [14]. For sustainability-related behaviors, which are mostly social or environmentally beneficial and responsible, many previous studies have shown that the impact of subjective norms is significant (e.g., [7,8,9,14]). In several studies, subjective norms appeared to increase the intention to oppose street garbage disposal [9], save energy and water, use public transportation, and recycle waste ([7,8]).

To the best of our knowledge, no empirical study has examined the role of subjective norms in the intention to sustain intangible cultural heritage such as traditional foods and family rituals. However, a few studies have applied the TPB model to traditional, local, or religious food consumption intentions. Although studies have confirmed the significant role of subjective norms in increasing the intention to consume traditional foods, scholars have suggested that the influence of subjective norms could be reinforced depending on the culture (e.g., ethnicity or nationality) to which consumers belong (e.g., [15,16]). The empirical findings of Nor and Kamaruddin’s (2021) [16] study on millennial Malaysians’ intention to continue consuming traditional fermented foods revealed that the TPB model variable with the highest explanatory power was subjective norms. Ali et al.’s (2017) [15] studies on halal foods found that the impact of subjective norms tended to be stronger among people from cultures with a high level of collectivism, such as China.

Hofstede’s Insights (2023) [17] introduced the dimension of collectivism as the opposite of individualism, and these contrasting values have been prevalent in social science studies to distinguish Eastern culture from Western culture. Collectivism is the degree of interdependence among members of a society, such as those of a nation, school, business, family, or even online communities. Consequently, members of a collective society strive for group loyalty. According to Hofstede’s (2023) [17] recent cultural insights, South Korea shows stronger collectivism than China, which is often considered a representative of a collective culture. People in collective societies are heavily influenced by the normative perceptions of their own group, and they fear social disapproval and loss of face as they prioritize the goals of society over their own personal goals.

Several studies have examined the strong influence of groups and society, particularly the family, on the efforts of Korean individuals to sustain rituals and local customs. In addition, in recent years, the normative relationship between parents and children in Korea has become even longer than in the past, as unmarried children who have failed to achieve economic independence between the ages of 20 and 30 continue to reside with their parents, and married children often continue to rely on their parents for housing costs or caring for grandchildren. This type of strong bonding relationship between parents and children in Korea generates several social problems, such as “Kangaroo kids” (i.e., children living with their parents after completing school) and “Helicopter Moms” (i.e., mothers monitoring and making all their children’s decisions and taking on their children’s responsibilities). Consequently, when Koreans decide whether to inherit traditional foods at family birthday rituals, it may be logical for them to not only consider whether this behavior is socially acceptable but also to consider the opinions of the community (i.e., family, relatives, friends, social networking sites (SNS)). Thus, we present the second hypothesis that the subjective perception of the norms presented in Korean society could play a crucial role in determining the sustainability of birthday ritual food heritage.

H2. 

Perceived subjective norms toward food heritage in birthday rituals have a positive influence on the intention to sustain food heritage.

2.4. Perceived Behavioral Control

In the TPB model, perceived behavioral control refers to the availability of sufficient resources to carry out a specific action. The required resources include not only an internal perception of self-efficacy regarding the necessary knowledge and skills to perform the practice but also the physical, economic, and social capabilities. Many studies in the field of sustainability, especially related to environmental protection, have recognized the critical impact of perceived behavioral control towards raising the level of sustainability intention (e.g., [18,19]). For example, Simsekoglu and Nayum (2019) [19] provided empirical evidence that, in addition to economic affordability, knowledge about electric vehicles has a significant influence on purchase intention as a choice to pursue sustainability to protect the environment. Paul et al. (2016) [18] conducted a study on consumers’ willingness to buy environmentally friendly products in India and highlighted the important role of perceived behavioral control variables. The findings suggested that general consumers’ sustainable intent would be enhanced if other facilitating conditions, such as a wider product selection, sales channels, and product information about environmentally friendly products, were established. In addition, perceived behavioral control has been identified as a key factor influencing tourists’ intention to consume local and traditional foods [20]. Perceived behavioral control also influenced consumers’ intention to continue consuming traditional food associated with religious habits such as halal food [21].

Several studies on the traditional food heritage of Koreans have also mentioned the main role of perceived behavioral control. Han et al. (2000) [22] surveyed 600 Korean households about the willingness of stay-at-home mothers to prepare and serve traditional foods. Most of the respondents supported this heritage, and the most frequently cited reason for preserving food heritage was that Korean housewives believe that the tradition is valuable. Despite this desire, the Korean housewives in their study identified barriers that prevent them from preparing traditional food, such as a lack of knowledge about traditional cooking techniques and a lack of time. This result suggests that perceived behavioral control in terms of physical and economic conditions is required for the sustainability of traditional foods. In addition, a party can incur a substantial financial burden since the typical guest list for a landmark birthday party includes immediate family, distant relatives, people from the workplace and church, and even neighbors [23]. However, the study found that perceived behavioral control increased the sustainability of traditional food heritage at landmark birthday rituals. Thus, we present our next hypothesis.

H3. 

Perceived behavioral control toward food heritage in birthday rituals has a positive influence on the intention to sustain food heritage.

2.5. Role of Women in the Sustainability of Food Heritage in Birthday Rituals

Birthday rituals often require special preparation, such as arranging the schedule and celebration space, decorations, guest list, and traditional food preparation. Thus, the planning process is likely to be lengthy and complex. A family birthday ritual is generally performed under the supervision of the couple, and in both Eastern and Western cultures, the wife is usually more responsible than her husband for planning and carrying out the ritual [24]. According to studies on Western cultural traditions associated with religious worship, discriminatory gender roles are likely to significantly influence family members’ perceptions and behaviors when performing family rituals.

Gender roles in the family are a hot topic, including in Eastern cultures such as that of Korea. Korea maintains a patriarchal society rooted in Confucian philosophy, which likens men to heaven and women to earth [24]. Korea is one of the most developed nations, but its population still maintains strong gender roles. Although a number of restrictions on gender roles have been virtually eliminated in legal and official society, strict gender roles remain in families, particularly in performing family rituals [24]. According to a survey of Koreans’ awareness of gender discrimination in family rituals, more than half (53.3%) of the participants, including men and women, identified an unfair burden on women for all ritual processes, such as cooking and dishwashing. Confucian culture and totemistic superstitions hold that all housework, which corresponds to the earth, should be performed by wives, lest misfortune befall the family.

These distorted gender roles in household work appear to be more prevalent in Korea than in other parts of East Asian culture, including Vietnam. Although Vietnam has a lower level of economic development and a lower gender equality index than Korea, some studies on the cultural adaptation experiences of migrant females who migrated from Vietnam to marry Korean men have shown that Vietnamese migratory women experience cultural differences in terms of gender roles in all family-related areas, including their everyday lives (i.e., language, eating habits, religion), traditions (i.e., family rituals), and roles (i.e., family relations) [25]. Researchers who have studied multiethnic families, including Vietnamese women, have suggested that gender roles may be one of the most significant changes. In contrast, Ok et al. (2014) [25] suggested that flexible perceptions of gender roles can reduce family conflict in multicultural households. However, wives in Korean families are compelled to adhere to traditional gender roles, particularly during family rituals. Given the strict gender roles in Korea, the importance of the female role in family rituals cannot be overlooked if they are to be passed on to future generations. Therefore, we hypothesize that a more positive perception of women’s roles in preparing family rituals would increase the desire to preserve the traditional food culture.

H4. 

Traditional perceptions of the role of women in preparing family rituals have a positive influence on the intention to sustain food heritage.

2.6. Moderation of Gender and Generation

One of the ultimate goals of sustainability research is to provide empirical evidence that will inform effective policies related to cultural heritage preservation. However, food heritage in family rituals is not only an intangible type of cultural heritage but is also difficult to articulate to descendants to preserve culture because it occurs within family units. It is also difficult to form strong government policies for this type of local cultural heritage that is passed down to the next generation, as it is reflected in the family’s lifestyle as a non-formal cultural legacy. Thus, the purpose of this study was to approach individual family members in Korea and determine how their perceptions and behaviors have been formed. The goal is to recommend fundamental educational content to develop and redirect individuals’ thoughts and perspectives. To achieve our objectives, we emphasize gender and age as moderators of the hypothesized effects.

Arguments regarding gender-based distinctions in decision-making processes have been presented in several studies (e.g., [26,27]). These studies have found that men tend to make heuristic decisions, whereas women tend to make comprehensive, step-by-step decisions based on detailed information. Due to these differences in information search processing, men tend to rely on similar others and to be loyal to things that emphasize their status or identity. Women are more likely to consider their relationships with others and buy things that reflect their own personality [26]. Several studies in the field of sustainability have identified differences in gender-based responsible behavior, and most have argued that women are more likely to engage in responsible consumption behaviors compared to men [27]. In terms of food-related decisions, women have been found to be more receptive to local and traditional food experiences during cultural heritage tours [28] and to have a stronger intention toward healthier eating habits and organic food [29].

Several studies have also suggested gender differences in the effects of the major independent variables of the TPB model. In particular, De Leeuw, Valois, Ajzen, and Schmidt (2014) [30] found that perceived behavioral controls had a greater impact on women’s purchase intentions, given that women engage in a more in-depth decision-making process. In contrast, in Wu, Liang, Wu, and Hong’s (2021) [31] study of Chinese consumers’ purchases of environmentally friendly products, men demonstrated a greater influence of perceptual behavioral control and subjective norms than women. This greater influence of subjective norms on male participants was also demonstrated in Moon’s (2021) research [32] on the intention to dine at green restaurants. Compared to other studies exploring consumers’ responses, these studies have indicated that men in Confucian cultures (e.g., China and Korea) tend to be more aware of others’ attention in terms of their social responsibilities and perceive greater social pressure than women. Given that the purpose of this study is to examine the sustainability of local food heritage, particularly in Korea, where the preparation of traditional food for birthday parties may be deeply intertwined with a male-oriented culture, we hypothesize that the influence of the perceived behavioral condition and subjective norm may be greater in the male group than in the female group.

H5. 

Compared to women, men experience greater influence from subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and traditional perceptions toward the role of women in the intention to sustain food heritage.

Age is another frequently considered demographic factor influencing sustainable behavior. While age has been recognized as a direct predictor of behavioral intention in many instances, the moderating roles of age have not been specified in terms of the effects of subjective norms and perceived behavior control on sustainable behavioral intention [32]. Several studies have investigated age-moderating effects on the influence of the main variables of TPB outside of sustainability-related areas. Most of the results have indicated that age influences relationships via the effect of subjective norms and perceived behavioral controls on behavioral intent. For example, Morris and Venkatesh’s (2002) [33] research on adoption decision-making processes for new technologies provided evidence that the older a person is, the more they value the main variables of TPB, including subjective norms and perceived behavioral controls. They also found that the stronger impact of subjective norms diminished as the technology became less up-to-date and new technology emerged. Regarding intent to travel, Wang, Yeh, Chen, and Huan (2022) [34] found that older people tend to be heavily influenced by subjective norms in their travel intentions. Chuang, Chen, and Chen’s (2018) [35] research on the environmental behavioral intentions of travelers indicated that older people feel social pressure and a sense of responsibility because they value sustainability, which ultimately leads them to engage in eco-friendly actions. Duarte Alonso et al. (2015) [28] also explained that older people recognize the significance of cultural heritage, view it as social capital, and desire the diversity of heritage-related experiences, particularly traditional food experiences. In the same context, the influence of perceived behavioral controls on behavioral intention increases as older individuals have more time and financial reserves than younger individuals. Specifically, Moon’s (2021) [32] study on Koreans’ intention to dine at eco-friendly restaurants revealed significant differences only in accordance with age in terms of the impact of perceived behavioral controls for TPB variables, with older individuals experiencing a greater impact than younger individuals. Therefore, based on these findings, we assume that the influence of subjective norms and perceived behavioral controls is greater for older individuals. Using a similar line of reasoning, we hypothesize that awareness of gender roles in a birthday ceremony would have a greater effect on the continuation of traditional birthday rituals among older groups who are more influenced by traditional Confucian culture.

H6. 

Compared to younger generations, older generations experience greater influence from subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and traditional perceptions toward the role of women in the intention to sustain food heritage.

3. Methodology

3.1. Survey Questionnaire and Data Collection

The purpose of this study is to define the multifaceted cultural value of traditional birthday foods and to investigate how cultural values and key TPB model-based factors contribute to cultural continuity. As described in

Table 1. Survey questionnaires.

Variables	Acronym	Items	References
Subjective Norm	SN1	My friends will think I should prepare traditional foods for landmark birthday rituals.	Irfan et al. (2021) [36]
	SN2	My family will expect me to serve traditional foods in landmark birthday rituals.
	SN3	Most people who are significant to me would expect me to serve traditional foods in landmark birthday rituals.
	SN4	My religion influences my intention to sustain traditional foods in landmark birthday rituals.
	SN5	If my friends serve traditional birthday foods in their landmark rituals, I am willing to prepare the foods in my family rituals too.
	SN6	I feel social pressure to prepare traditional foods for landmark birthday rituals.
	SN7	When I look at mass media or social media, I feel that I should sustain traditional foods in landmark birthday rituals.
Perceived behavioral control	PBC1	It seems mentally relaxing for me to prepare traditional foods for landmark birthday rituals.	Irfan et al. (2021) [36], Paul et al. (2016) [18], Simsekoglu & Nayum (2019) [20]
	PBC2	I can prepare traditional birthday foods whenever I want.
	PBC3	I have enough money to prepare traditional birthday food.
	PBC4	There is enough time for me to prepare traditional foods for landmark birthday rituals.
	PBC5	It is not difficult for me to prepare traditional birthday ceremonial food.
	PBC6	I feel like having complete control over the preparation of traditional birthday ceremonial food.
Female role	FR1	The actual preparation of traditional food for birthday rituals usually has to be done by females of the household.	Made by Authors
	FR2	It is generally accepted that females are responsible for the execution (i.e., selection, purchase, cooking) of traditional food for birthday rituals.
	FR3	The specific roles of men and women in preparing traditional birthday ceremonial foods should be assigned differently.
Intention to Sustain	IS1	I will include at least one traditional ceremonial food if I practice landmark birthday rituals.	Irfan et al. (2021) [36]
	IS2	I am willing to sustain several traditional foods if I practice landmark birthday rituals.
	IS3	If landmark birthday rituals are practiced, I think that some of the traditional ceremonial foods should be cooked by a family member.
Historical Solidarity	HS1	Traditional ceremonial foods in landmark birthday rituals represent the history of our culture.	Rhee and Hwang (2017) [12]
	HS2	Traditional ceremonial foods in landmark birthday rituals play a role in spreading a sense of solidarity among participants.
	HS3	Traditional ceremonial foods in landmark birthday rituals have an invisible but important spirit.
	HS4	Traditional ceremonial foods in landmark birthday rituals function like a key that opens up to family members.
	HS5	Through traditional ceremonial foods in landmark birthday rituals, the spirit and mind are handed down to descendants.
Modest Beauty	MB1	Traditional ceremonial foods in landmark birthday rituals have humble beauty.
	MB2	Traditional ceremonial foods in landmark birthday rituals are simple but balanced.
	MB3	There is a beauty of inspiration that is not revealed in a flashy way in traditional ceremonial foods in landmark birthday rituals.
Instrumental Healing	IH1	Traditional ceremonial foods in landmark birthday rituals help slow life down, such as fermentation.
	IH2	Traditional ceremonial foods in landmark birthday rituals are eco-friendly.
	IH3	Traditional ceremonial foods in landmark birthday rituals boost vitality through a healing process.

, the variables measuring the key components in the conceptual framework of this study were derived from prior studies and enhanced based on our research objectives. A questionnaire from Rhee and Hwang (2017) [12] was used to assess the cultural value of traditional foods served at landmark birthday rituals. For the subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention to sustain traditional foods, we referred to previous studies on sustainability that utilized the TPB model (e.g., [18,19,36]). Subjective norms generally measure individuals’ perceptions of significant others’ normalized opinions about participants’ intention to sustain the cultural heritage of traditional birthday foods. Regarding significant others, this study included family and friends as well as religious members and the mass media, such as social media (SNS), based on the concept of social pressure. To measure perceived behavioral control, we reflected numerous studies to capture both internal self-efficacy and the sufficiency of external resources (e.g., time, money). Finally, due to the lack of good research on the practice of serving traditional foods, we developed items measuring the perceived role of women in sustaining traditional foods in birthday rituals. This factor reflected how participants agreed that the devotion of women in the process of birthday ritual preparation is unbalanced, such as the different assigned roles of men and women in preparing traditional birthday ritual foods. All items in the questionnaire measuring the conceptual variables were based on a five-point Likert scale from 1 (totally disagree) to 5 (totally agree).

The data collection process and survey questionnaire were approved by the Institutional Review Board of the authors’ university. Data were collected through a professional survey company in South Korea that built the online version of the survey based on the questionnaire that the authors developed. Potential participants from the survey company’s marketing panels were sent an e-mail that included a URL link to the survey. The e-mail also included a detailed description of the current study, including the research purpose, the risks and benefits of participation, and the privacy policy. We provided screening conditions to select relevant participants, including age, gender, marital status, children (intention to have children for unmarried participants), and whether their parents were still alive. Specifically, the main research focus of this study was the 1st birthday ritual (prepared by the child’s parents) and the 70th birthday (prepared by the adult children) in Korea. Thus, the inclusion criteria were participants over 30 years old with children or potential children in the near future, as well as parents or parents-in-law. We also intentionally only recruited participants from Seoul, the capital city of Korea, to control for the geographical differences. A total of 3201 participants were initially recruited, but 2272 were excluded because they lived outside of Seoul, and 169 answered that they did not intend to marry or have children. Finally, 760 participants remained, and their answers were used for the analysis.

3.2. Sample Characteristics

Regarding sample characteristics (See

Table 2. Sample characteristics.

Characteristics	Details	Frequency	Percent (%)
Gender	Male	310	40.8
	Female	450	59.2
Age	30–39	320	42.1
	40–49	150	19.7
	50–59	144	18.9
	60–69	146	19.2
Marital status	Married	583	76.7
	Never married	160	21.1
	Others (e.g., divorced)	17	2.2
Number of children	None	62	8.2
	1	207	27.2
	2	287	37.8
	3	44	5.8
Education	Below high school graduation	101	13.3
	Attending college	5	0.7
	College graduation	543	71.4
	Attending graduate school	13	1.7
	Above graduate school graduation	98	12.9
Jobs	Profession (e.g., medical doctor)	35	4.6
	Engineer	76	10
	Desk job	318	41.8
	Teacher	35	4.6
	Business management	32	4.2
	Service provider	75	9.9
	Stay-home mom	149	19.6
	Other	40	5.3
Types of households	Live alone	84	11.1
	Couple	130	17.1
	Couple with children	508	66.8
	Couple with parents and children	26	3.4
	Other	12	1.6
Monthly income (Ten thousand KRW)	Below 200	24	3.2
	200~300	98	12.9
	300~400	117	15.4
	400~500	126	16.6
	500~600	108	14.2
	600~700	92	12.1
	Over 700	195	25.7

), the respondents’ ages ranged from 30 to 69 years old: 320 (42.1%); 40 to 49 years old: 150 (19.7%); 50 to 59 years old: 144 (18.9%); and 60 to 69 years old: 146 (19.2%). We intentionally included twice as many participants in their 30s than the other ages since we considered them the major successors of the traditions of birthday rituals, particularly for 1st birthday rituals. In terms of gender, 59.2% of the participants were female. Most of the participants were either married (76.7%) or divorced (2.2%), and only 21.1% answered that they had never married. Except for 8.2% of the participants with children, they were raising one (27.2%), two (37.8%), or three or more (5.8%) children. In terms of the types of households, 66.8% of the participants were couples with children. Over 70% of the sample noted that they had a higher level of education (college level). The most frequently indicated jobs were desk jobs (41.8%), and 33.1% of female participants were stay-at-home mothers. Lastly, about 68% of the participants reported that their household income was over KRW 40 million per year.

The majority of the respondents answered that they had participated in a 1st birthday ritual (87.8%), and more than half (55%) had hosted their own children’s 1st birthday rituals. For 70th birthday rituals, 73.2% of the participants reported that they had attended and 36.7% had hosted their parents’ 70th birthday rituals. These descriptive statistics suggest that 1st and 70th birthday rituals are appropriate examples of landmark birthday rituals in Korea. When the participants were asked what guests should be invited to 1st birthday rituals for children (2 questions), participants highly ranked grandparents (90.4%), siblings of the parents (89.2%), friends and colleagues of the parents (54.9%), and cousins of the parents (42.6%). For 70th birthday rituals, participants listed grandchildren (90.9%), brothers and sisters of the parents (75.9%), cousins (45.8%), and grandparents’ siblings (43.8%). These findings indicate that it is generally and traditionally acceptable for the hosts to invite a comparatively large group, including immediate family and extended family, to a landmark birthday, such as the 1st and 70th rituals.

4. Results

4.1. Cultural Values Surrounding Traditional Foods for a Landmark Birthday Ritual

Due to the lack of empirical application to cultural values in traditional birthday ritual foods, we investigated cultural values based on 37 items from Rhee and Hwang’s (2017) [12] study capturing multiple dimensions of cultural values in Korean traditional clothing, foods, and housing. In order to gather data about multiple dimensions of cultural values, we conducted a factor analysis using a main component factor analysis based on varimax rotation. To extract relevant items explaining cultural values related to Korean traditional birthday ritual foods, we excluded the items with a commonality of less than 0.6 from the assigned components. We also selectively excluded the items assigned to two or more dimensions. The difference in the two-factor loading values was less than 0.2, which usually induces a low level of discriminant validity.

Eleven items were finally used to explain the cultural values of landmark birthday rituals. They comprised three factors with over 1 eigenvalue and 70.79% of the cumulative total variance. The three extracted dimensions of cultural values were named based on the contents of the constituent items and based on previous literature about intangible heritage (e.g., [12,13]). The first factor included social and historical values in previous research, such as a sense of solidarity between people in the Korean local community and the concept of a warm heart throughout history. Thus, we named this factor historical solidarity (HS) to express both history and social connections. The second factor was authentic beauty, which concisely and modestly encompassed the emotional and esthetic values found in previous research. Thus, we named this factor modest beauty (MB). Finally, the third factor was named instrumental healing (IH), as it encompassed the symbolic and instrumental values in the pursuit of an environmentally friendly or slow life. These statistical findings confirm that Koreans perceive the three dimensions of cultural values in traditional birthday ritual foods, which is in line with Choi et al.’s (2002) [13] research on Korean traditional foods. Based on the three cultural values of traditional birthday ritual foods, the research hypotheses of the current study are supported, as shown in Figure 2.

4.2. Reliability and Validity Analysis

Prior to hypothesis verification, we analyzed the reliability and validity of the independent and dependent variables in the hypotheses, including cultural values of food heritage (i.e., HS, MB, IH), the main variables of the TPB model (i.e., SN, PBC, female role [FR]), and intention to sustain (IS). To examine the content validity and discriminant validity, we conducted factor analysis using the main component methodology with varimax rotation (See

Table 3. Results of exploratory factor analysis.

Items	Factors							Rotation Sums of Squared Loadings		Cronbach’s Alpha
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total	Cumulative%
SN1	0.74	0.23	0.11	0.14	0.14	0.10	0.20	4.15	13.83	0.89
SN2	0.73	0.19	0.22	0.17	0.09	0.11	0.23
SN3	0.71	0.21	0.26	0.14	0.06	0.07	0.23
SN4	0.71	0.13	0.01	0.15	0.18	0.19	0.03
SN5	0.70	0.21	0.30	0.18	0.07	0.10	0.29
SN6	0.66	0.09	0.03	−0.05	0.24	0.09	−0.30
SN7	0.61	0.21	0.25	0.17	0.04	0.22	0.36
PBC1	0.19	0.81	0.14	0.01	0.04	0.04	0.09	3.92	26.91	0.87
PBC2	0.09	0.80	0.05	0.07	0.08	0.07	0.11
PBC3	0.05	0.73	0.21	0.01	0.00	−0.14	0.03
PBC4	0.18	0.72	0.11	0.10	0.16	0.11	0.19
PBC5	0.22	0.70	0.01	0.09	0.09	0.11	0.14
PBC6	0.17	0.70	0.04	0.10	0.10	0.18	0.05
HS1	0.07	0.10	0.79	0.04	0.03	0.10	0.14	3.75	39.41	0.88
HS2	0.13	0.16	0.75	0.21	0.03	0.17	0.09
HS3	0.15	0.07	0.74	0.16	0.14	0.16	0.15
HS4	0.19	0.11	0.73	0.26	0.05	0.15	0.07
HS5	0.21	0.13	0.69	0.30	0.06	0.20	0.17
MB1	0.15	0.05	0.19	0.81	0.06	0.16	0.08	2.39	47.36	0.82
MB2	0.17	0.13	0.26	0.79	0.05	0.10	0.08
MB3	0.18	0.11	0.29	0.73	0.01	0.15	0.09
FR1	0.12	0.11	0.06	0.09	0.86	−0.01	0.19	2.34	55.17	0.83
FR2	0.10	0.11	0.10	0.01	0.85	0.06	0.14
FR3	0.30	0.13	0.04	0.03	0.75	0.12	−0.03
IH1	0.16	0.09	0.34	0.08	0.02	0.74	0.12	2.01	61.88	0.80
IH2	0.21	0.11	0.17	0.27	0.15	0.72	0.17
IH3	0.29	0.12	0.38	0.19	0.05	0.67	0.08
IS1	0.18	0.18	0.24	0.06	0.15	0.07	0.73	1.97	68.44	0.75
IS2	0.29	0.25	0.31	0.17	0.10	0.16	0.63
IS3	0.18	0.27	0.12	0.11	0.22	0.24	0.55

Note. n = 760; HS: historical solidarity, IH: instrumental healing, MB: moderate beauty, PBC: perceived behavioral control, FR: female role, SN: subjective norm, IS: intention to sustain birthday food heritage.

). Based on eigenvalue 1, seven factors were derived, as expected based on the previous literature. The cumulative variance was 68.44%, satisfying content validity exceeding the generally accepted criteria of 60%. In addition, all factors had a factor loading of over 0.6 without having a prominent factor loading onto other factors, which indicated discriminant validity. As described in Table 2, the seven factors included in the conceptual model showed significant correlation at 99% confidence levels. The Cronbach’s alpha values were 0.75~0.89, which is higher than the acceptable criterion of 0.7.

4.3. Regression Analysis

To test the hypotheses, we utilized hierarchical regression analysis with two groups of independent variables: (1) cultural values and (2) theoretical basis. The second model, including the six suggested variables, was superior, with significant changes to R² and F (∆R² = 0.36, F(3, 756) = 142.210, p < 0.001). According to the collinearity test, the criteria were satisfied since the variance inflation factors (VIFs) were less than 4 and the tolerances were over 0.25. From the results shown in

Table 4. Results of hierarchical regression analysis (dependent var. = IS).

Model		Unstd. Coeff.		Std. Coeff.	t	p	Collinearity Statistics		Model Summary	Change Statistics
		B	S.E.	Beta			Tolerance	VIF	Adj. R2	∆R2	∆F
1	(Con.)	0.51	0.13		3.87	0.00			0.36	0.36	F(3, 756) = 142.21
	HS	0.44	0.05	0.38	8.23	0.00	0.40	2.52
	MB	0.07	0.05	0.06	1.51	0.13	0.50	1.99
	IH	0.23	0.05	0.22	5.13	0.00	0.47	2.14
2	(Con.)	−0.22	0.17		−1.35	0.18			0.48	0.12	F(3, 753) = 60.01
	HS	0.24	0.05	0.21	4.55	0.00	0.32	3.15
	MB	0.01	0.04	0.01	0.21	0.83	0.49	2.03
	IH	0.12	0.04	0.11	2.84	0.01	0.44	2.29
	SN	0.26	0.04	0.25	7.10	0.00	0.55	1.81
	PBC	0.26	0.03	0.24	7.98	0.00	0.76	1.33
	FR	0.13	0.04	0.10	3.02	0.00	0.68	1.46

HS: historical solidarity, IH: instrumental healing, MB: moderate beauty, PBC: perceived behavioral control, FR: female role, SN: subjective norm, IS: intention to sustain birthday food heritage.

, the explanatory power of the six independent variables was 48% for the intention to sustain traditional foods in birthday rituals. Specifically, among the three dimensions of cultural values, HS (β = 0.21, t = 4.55, p < 0.001) and IH (β = 0.11, t = 2.84, p < 0.001) demonstrated a significant contribution to shaping IS, while the influence of MS (β = 0.01, t = 0.21, p = 0.83) was insignificant. In terms of the TPB model, SN (β = 0.26, t = 7.10, p < 0.001) and PBC (β = 0.26, t = 7.98, p < 0.001) had a significant impact on IS, and FR (β = 0.13, t = 3.02, p < 0.001) was also a significant determinant.

4.4. Moderating Analysis

The current study applied gender and age as moderating variables based on previous research about the roles of demographic variables in the TPB model. For gender, sex was reflected, and age was categorized into two groups—young generation (YG: 30s–40s) and old generation (OG: 50s–60s)—to verify the conditional effect between the groups. In general, the OG group comprised participants whose children were now adults in the family life cycle. We utilized the SPSS add-on program Process (v. 3.4) to test the moderating effects of gender and age. Based on Hayes’ (2017) [37] suggestion about the models including two moderators at the same time, we applied model 2. Model 2 is utilized for analyzing two moderators because it enables researchers to assess both the individual and combined effects of these moderators on the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. This model is particularly beneficial for capturing complex moderation interactions. Compared to Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), Model 2 in Process is often favored due to its simplicity and efficiency, especially when the focus is on interaction effects rather than latent variables. This makes it more accessible and practical for many applied research contexts, as it is specifically designed for moderation and mediation analysis, avoiding the more intricate setups and assumptions required by SEM.

As described in Table 4, the demographic information of the two groups did not show a significant impact on the influence of SN on IS. Regarding PBC, age (the generation) played a significant moderating role regarding the influence of PBC on IS (F(1, 749) = 5.16, p = 0.02), whereas gender was insignificant. In addition, the interaction between the two demographic factors was marginally significant at the 90% confidence level (F(1, 748) = 2.58, p = 0.08). Lastly, in terms of the role of women, only age (generation) significantly influenced the relationship between FR and IS (F(1, 749) = 7.52, p = 0.01). However, the interaction between gender and age significantly moderated the impact of FR on IS (F(1, 749) = 3.87, p = 0.02). To check the detailed moderating impact of significant results, we reported the conditional impacts of interactions on the influence of PBC and FR on IS in

Table 5. Tests of moderating effects (Process Model 2).

Results of Highest-Order Unconditional Interaction(S) Tests
	Independent Var.	Moderators	R2-change	F	df1	df2	p
	SN	Generation	0.00	0.35	1.00	749.00	0.55
		Gender	0.00	1.12	1.00	749.00	0.29
		BOTH	0.00	0.69	2.00	748.00	0.50
	PBC	Generation	0.00	5.16	1.00	749.00	0.02
		Gender	0.00	0.06	1.00	749.00	0.81
		BOTH	0.00	2.58	2.00	748.00	0.08
	FR	Generation	0.01	7.52	1.00	749.00	0.01
		Gender	0.00	0.09	1.00	749.00	0.77
		BOTH	0.01	3.87	2.00	748.00	0.02
Conditional Effects of the Focal Predictor at Values of the Moderators
	Independent Var.	Generation	Gender	Effect	se	t	p
	PBC	YG(30~49)	Male	0.21	0.05	3.96	0.00
		YG(30~49)	Female	0.20	0.04	4.45	0.00
		OG(Over 50)	Male	0.34	0.06	5.37	0.00
		OG(Over 50)	Female	0.33	0.05	6.30	0.00
	FR	YG(30~49)	Male	0.06	0.04	1.40	0.16
		YG(30~49)	Female	0.07	0.03	2.10	0.04
		OG(Over 50)	Male	0.19	0.05	3.68	0.00
		OG(Over 50)	Female	0.20	0.04	4.75	0.00

PBC: perceived behavioral control, FR: female role, SN: subjective norm.

. First, the impact of PBC on IS was greater in the OG group (Effect_male = 0.34, t = 5.37, p < 0.001; Effect_female = 0.33, t = 6.30, p < 0.001) than in the YG group (Effect_male = 0.21, t = 3.96, p < 0.001; Effect_female = 0.20, t = 4.45, p < 0.001), while male gender had a slightly greater impact of PBC on IS than female gender, but the impact was not clear. In contrast, while FR had a greater impact on OG (Effect_male = 0.19, t = 3.68, p < 0.001; Effect_female = 0.20, t = 4.75, p < 0.001) than YG (Effect_male = 0.06, t = 1.40, p = 0.16; Effect_female = 0.07, t = 2.10, p = 0.04), the impact of FR was no longer significant in the young generation and male gender groups.

5. Discussion

Although the importance of sustaining cultural heritage has been emphasized for decades [1,3], empirical studies related to sustainable behavioral intention toward intangible traditional cultures, including family rituals, have been very rare in the literature [5]. This study attempted to fill this gap by surveying local participants to measure their behavioral intentions and related critical perceptions toward traditional foods served at two landmark birthday celebrations. These foods are part of Korea’s cultural heritage and promote community connectivity and sustainability. As a theoretical background, we applied the TPB model, which is ideal for describing sustainability-related human behavior [31], and examined gender and age differences. Our findings contribute not only to the theoretical flow of research related to TPB models and the sustainability of cultural heritage but also to the direction and promotion of future cultural policy.

This study found that the multifaceted value of the traditional food heritage of landmark birthday celebrations consists of three factors: historical solidarity (HS), modest beauty (MB), and instrumental healing (IH). The HS factor comprises both dimensions of cultural values, including historical values and social values. The traditional foods in family birthday rituals hold historical meaning that has been inherited throughout Korean history. The foods are prepared and served for the invited social members, including extended family and community members. Family ritual is a sociocultural practice that is passed on to generations in the form of historically established acts or activities [10]. The value of historical solidarity can also be interpreted in recognition of Koreans’ invisible spirit, “Jeong,” which is well known as a decisive factor that characterizes Korean culture [38]. No precise English word explains the exact concept of ‘Jeong’; however, affection carries the most similar meaning in English. Affection in English only implies close and well-acquainted relationships, but in Korean, it can even extend to relationships with total strangers. This basic elementary ‘feeling’ building social relationships such as ‘Jeong’ strengthens Korean ‘we’ consciousness. Yu (2015) [39] also recognized that when Koreans exchange ‘Jeong’ within an exclusive group like family members, it is connected to family centralism. Thus, the HS of the family as the most important part of social relationships was one of the most significant factors in this study determining the sustainability of traditional birthday foods. In addition, IH refers to values that promote mental health and psychological improvement, such as environmental friendliness, healing, and a slow life. IH also has a significant impact on the sustainability of traditional food heritage. Finally, the MB of food, which means authentic esthetic value, was recognized as a unique cultural value, but it did not have a statistically significant impact on the intention to sustain traditional food. In summary, the cultural values that Koreans aspire to related to inheriting traditional foods in landmark birthday rituals are not external authentic values but instead are more internal values carried out through the process of preparing traditional foods. For example, it strengthens historical and social relationships and heals the mind.

Another important finding regarding the application of the TPB model to birthday food inheritance is that both subjective norm (SN) and perceived behavioral control (PBC) showed a significant influence, as expected. When considering the three cultural value factors of traditional birthday foods together, SN and PBC were significant, which significantly enhanced the explanatory power of the regression model. In the previous literature examining this type of sustainability issue based on the TPB model, PBC has been an important factor in forming the intention to behave in a sustainable manner. For instance, studies have examined sustainable actions in purchasing electronic vehicles [20], environmentally friendly products [18], and tourists consuming local foods that represent traditional heritage [20] or eating traditional religious foods [21]. Pursuing the inheritance of traditional or sustainable products tends to require more effort, time, and money since they are often rarer and more expensive than common and modern options. In the example of traditional birthday foods, even though the materials are not very expensive or extravagant, the preparation of these foods is likely to require considerable knowledge about the foods and take considerable time and effort if they are cooked by family members [23]. In contrast to our findings, results from previous TPB models identified a significant role of SN—as significant as PBC—which was one of the most distinguished results from previous TPB models. The impact of SN on sustainable behavioral intention has generally been found to be significant, especially when the behavior can benefit the community, such as reducing littering [9] or increasing recycling [8]. However, once sustainability is narrowed down to the individual level, the influence of SN is often no longer critical. Specifically, in the case of tourists consuming local traditional foods, the role of SN has a significantly weaker influence compared to PBC [40], or it has no influence at all [20]. In this study, although we dealt with local traditional foods, SN appeared to still be significant and even as strong as PBC since the foods are consumed at family events. Social relationships founded on ‘Jeong’ tend to reflect socially acceptable behaviors within various social communities, such as the family and church. These results confirm those of previous studies showing the influence of SN on the consumption of religious foods [15,16].

Finally, the current study introduced the traditional role of women in the preparation of birthday rituals as a new determinant of traditional birthday food sustainability to reflect the lack of equity in Korea. As expected, FR played a decisive role in sustaining traditional foods in landmark birthday rituals. In other words, the more people agree to the principle that women should take on this unbalanced role, the greater the intention to sustain traditional foods in their birthday rituals. When considering the exclusive role of women in household chores and family worship in Korea [25], people pursuing cultural heritage are likely to follow many traditions, including birthday rituals. In addition, women’s roles in these rituals are still prominent, even though this tradition has been seriously criticized based on modernized rationales such as gender equality.

Regarding the moderating effects of age and gender on the TPB model, this study found a significant statistical difference in PBC and FR by generation. In contrast, the impact of SN was stable for all genders and age groups. This may reflect how important SN is in forming behavioral intentions for sustaining cultural heritage, even when the heritage involves socially intimate groups such as family. Although the generation of the main hosts in families has changed, the importance of others’ thoughts is still strongly considered, regardless of gender. Unlike subjective norms, the impact of PBC varied between the generations. Specifically, the influence of PBC was significantly higher in the older group compared to the younger group. Considering that the older generation has likely been more exposed to traditional foods in family rituals, they are more familiar with and knowledgeable about the actual preparation process and perceive the importance of one’s ability to prepare the foods. Moon (2021) [33] also suggested that PBC was more important in the older group when determining the intention to visit environmentally friendly restaurants. The influence of FR was also different based on the different age groups. Interestingly, the influence of FR on IS was not significant in the young male group and only marginally significant in the young female group. Kim and Park’s (2022) [41] research on Koreans’ value framework toward family by age group showed that the older generation (50s) adhered to a traditional framework, whereas the younger generation (40s) did not care about traditions they thought were irrational. Regarding the moderating effect of FR on the sustainability of traditional birthday foods, the interaction between gender and age was significant, but gender was not a significant moderating factor. The effect of FR was slightly greater in the female group than the male group in both age groups, which indicates that women are also more willing to sustain the tradition. Even though they are female and carry the burden of traditional women’s roles, they hold a traditional perception of FR.

6. Implications

The disappearance of a long-standing traditional culture representing a country or local community amid rapid changes from Westernization can cause discord by weakening the invisible but strong bond that integrates members of society and is the connectivity sustaining the country. By highlighting the significance of cultural sustainability, the current study enriches the growing research on cultural heritage. This empirical study was conducted with actual social members based on the theory of cultural value and the TPB model. Korea is suffering from severe conflicts between generations and genders caused by extreme changes in traditional values such as gender roles, family worship, and rituals. These changes are due to Westernization, corresponding to exceptional industrial development worldwide.

The results of this study make several theoretical contributions. Regarding cultural values, we defined three dimensions of the cultural value of traditional foods for landmark birthday rituals: HS, IH, and MB. We also found that Koreans expected solidarity and healing from traditional foods when preparing food for birthday rituals. Based on the well-known TPB model that describes human behavior and decision-making processes, we provide empirical evidence that practical cultural successors care about social pressure and behavioral control when determining the intention to sustain the culture. The findings also reaffirm the importance of social relationships, such as subjective norms and social solidarity, in collectivist cultures such as Korea. Promoting the sustainability of traditional birthday foods will help stimulate the social norms of Koreans by appealing to their historical and social values, which can unite the entire country. We applied the TPB model to examine the intention to sustain traditional foods used in birthday rituals, incorporating cultural values instead of general attitudes toward traditional foods. This approach yielded significant results, aligning with research on slow fashion consumption, where ethical considerations and conscious consumption are key factors [42]. Just as values are pivotal in explaining consumer intentions and behaviors in slow fashion, our findings suggest that cultural values are similarly important in understanding intentions related to traditional food practices.

Peculiarities of the locality and cultures of certain communities should also be considered for the sustainability of cultural heritage to determine how cultural heritage adapts and survives in a particular context [1]. We distinguished this research by considering gender roles and differences between generations and gender, which is the cultural context in Korea. Romagnoli (2019) [43] suggests that the historical and social inheritance of food heritage should be consistent with community social awareness. Thus, Korean administrative departments should focus on narrowing the gap between generations by stressing flexible and equal gender roles in sustaining valuable cultural heritage such as traditional birthday foods.

7. Limitations

Despite its academic and practical significance, this study has some limitations. First, since the study utilized an online survey restricted to participants from the Seoul region, it did not reflect the cultures of the other regions in Korea. Because rural areas outside of Seoul tend to retain traditional values, subsequent studies can add local differences with geographically representative sampling methods. Second, because landmark birthday rituals are usually related to traditional families—married couples with children—this study excluded the younger generation in their 20s and 30s, as most members of this group are not married or have no children. Therefore, subsequent studies should be extended to non-married individuals or households to help formulate sustainable policies in line with future changes.