Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate university students' eating habits during special occasions and the willingness to pass on traditions of cooking certain dishes on special occasions to the next generation. The procedure of this study included a questionnaire to collect data for this study. The results are summarized as fellows: there were 689 participants. 314 male and 375 female. Most participants were nuclear families(84.5%), Practicing cooking traditions during the special occasions at home on New year's day. Chusuk, Ceremony of a forefather's death, the 15th of the first month. and Winter solstice exceeded 70% of households. In every event, most persons who make the food during the special events at home are mothers. Furthermore, most persons who teach the cooking method are mothers. too. Most foods which were taken In the annual events generally were as fellows : rice cake soup on New Year's Day. boiled rice admixed with four other staple cereals on the 15th of the first month, half-moon-shaped rice cake on Chusuk. a rice-and-mugwort cake on Buddha's birthday, rice and adzuki-bean on the winter solstice and cake on Christmas and wedding anniversary. The results of the survey of perception of food traditions during the special events was as follows ; ‘annual events helped peoples to make relationships with family and relatives deeper’ showed the highest agreement. The willingness to pass on traditional foods for the special days showed the highest agreement on New Year's Day and Chusuk, followed by Ceremony of a forefather's death. the 15th of the first month, and finally the winter solstice.