Animal Parade Calendar of Birthdays and Festivals

This is the Calendar of Birthdays and Festivals I created for the Animal Parade General Guide.


Here is my preliminary Calendar of Birthdays and Festivals. The items listed with each Birthday are 'suggested easy gifts'. What this means is that they are items that you can obtain very easily even at the start of the game and if not the 'Most Favourite Gift', nonetheless a Birthday Gift that will be acknowledged happily and therefore will raise Friendship/Affection Levels as well as eliciting an acknowledgement that it is the Character's Birthday.

Note that you must have at least 10 Characters at 3 Hearts in order to begin the Purple Bell Quest. Remembering Birthdays is an excellent way to start.

Although the Birthdays of all Eligible Bachelors will be included on your Calendar if your Character is a Girl and similarly, the Birthdays of all Eligible Girls included if your Character is male, no other Birthdays ever are added, even when you give a Gift to some one on his/her Birthday.

The only Gifts that will be recognised AS Birthday Gifts by any Character are those items that meet with a response either of a 'burst of hearts' or a 'single heart'. The Gifts that are received with a burst of musical notes, while accepted happily by an individual, will not elicit any Birthday acknowledgement.
The dates of all Birthdays and Festivals are listed in this Calendar with a suggested Birthday Gift in brackets next to each Birthday. The Items may not be a ‘Most Favourite Gift’ but it will be a gift that is easy to obtain and one that is inexpensive and yet will raise Friendship and Love Levels. For each Season, all Crops and Flowers that can be grown have been listed as well as all Items found in the Wilds. A Fish section has been included for each Season, providing a list of those varieties of Fish that can be caught ONLY in that specific Season or during two Seasons at most. More detailed information about ALL varieties of Fish is provided in the Fishing section of the Guide as well as the Items Shipping List Guide. Where I have listed ‘Sea Urchin’ as a preferred Gift, it indicates for the most part that ANY raw shellfish collected at the shore would be acceptable, including Mussels, Oysters and Clams. Shellfish tends to be seasonal.

Spring


Spring Crops

Spring Crops are as follows:
Single Harvest Crops: Cabbage, Lettuce, Potato, Spicy Pepper, Turnip
Multiple Harvest Crops: Cocoa, Flax, Strawberry, Wheat
Spring Flowers: Hyacinth, Lavender, Pansy, Pinkcat Flower, Tulip
Items found in the Wilds: Blue Herb, Green Herb, Purple Herb, Yellow Herb, Blueberry, Raspberry
On the Beach: Sea Urchins

Spring Fish

Spring and Summer: Dorado,
Spring and Autumn: Mackerel, Skull Jellyfish
Spring and Winter: Huchen, Pacific Halibut, Pacific Herring, Rock Trout, Tarpon, Yellowtail

Spring Festivals and Birthdays

5 Spring: Ramsey’s Birthday (Herbal Tea, Turnip)
6 Spring: Ruth’s Birthday (Tulip, Sakura Seashell)
9 Spring: Toby’s Birthday (Sea Urchin, Sakura Sea Shell)
13 Spring: Hamilton’s Birthday (Tulip)
14 Spring: Flower Festival
17 Spring: Phoebe’s Birthday (Mushroom (White), Iron or any Refined Ore, Yellow Wonderful)
20 Spring: Perry’s Birthday (Tulip, Herbal Tea)
21 Spring: Hayden’s Birthday (Sea Urchin, any cocktail)
22 Spring: Theodore’s Circus
23 Spring: Chase’s Birthday (Sea Urchin)
25 Spring: Luna’s Birthday (Tulip, Sakura Seashell)
27 Spring: Sue’s Birthday (Tulip, Pineapple Juice)
28 Spring: Animal Festival

Summer


Summer Crops

Single Harvest Crops: Blue Herb, Cucumber, Green Herb, Honeydew, Onion, Sugarcane, Tea Leaves, Watermelon
Multiple Harvest Crops: Corn, Tomato
Summer Flowers: Begonia, Hibiscus, Lily, Morning Glory, Sunflower
Items Found in the Wilds: Green Herb, Purple Herb, Red Herb, Yellow Herb, Blackberry, Raspberry
On the Beach: Mussels and Oysters

Summer Fish

Spring and Summer: Dorado
Summer and Autumn: Bonito, Conger Eel, King Salmon

Summer Festivals and Birthdays

3 Summer: Kathy’s Birthday (Sea Urchin, Mussel)
6 Summer: Cain’s Birthday (Boiled Egg, Corn)
7 Summer: Firefly Festival
8 Summer: Luke’s Birthday (Tulip, Banana)
10 Summer: Yolanda’s Birthday (Herbal Tea, Boiled Egg)
14 Summer: Dale’s Birthday (Remedy, any Cocktail)
17 Summer: Summer Festival
18 Summer: Owen’s Birthday (Boiled Egg, Sea Urchin, Mussel)
19 Summer: Taylor’s Birthday (Tulip)
21 Summer: Samson’s Birthday (Coconut, Hibiscus)
23 Summer: Barbara’s Birthday (Tulip, Pinkcat Flower)
26 Summer: Selena’s Birthday (Sakura Seashell, Sea Urchin, Mussel)
27 Summer: Chloe’s Birthday (Tulip)

Autumn


Autumn Crops

Single Harvest Crops: Carrot, Grape, Purple Herb, Red Herb, Rice, Spinach
Multiple Harvest Crops: Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Pumpkin, Yam
Autumn Flowers: Blue Mist, Chrysanthemum, Cosmos, Moondrop, Rose
Items Found in the Wilds: Blue Herb, Green Herb, Red Herb, Yellow Herb, Blueberry, Cranberry
On the Beach: Clams

Autumn Fish

Spring and Autumn: Mackerel, Skull Jellyfish
Summer and Autumn: Bonito, Conger Eel, King Salmon
Autumn Only: Salmon
Autumn and Winter: Angler Fish and Cod

Autumn Festivals and Birthdays

2 Autumn: Bo’s Birthday (Tulip, Mushroom*)
5 Autumn: Renee’s Birthday (Sakura Sea Shell, Sea Urchin, Mussel)
6 Autumn: Craig’s Birthday (Raspberry Cocktail, any Cocktail)
14 Autumn: Moon Festival
16 Autumn: Anissa’s Birthday (Tulip, Blue Herb, Herbal Tea)
20 Autumn: Irene’s Birthday (Purple Herb, Herbal Tea)
21 Autumn: Julius’ Birthday (Tulip, Rose, Herbal Tea)
22 Autumn: Theodore’s Circus
24 Autumn: Maya’s Birthday (Sea Urchin, Mussel)
27 Autumn: Harvest Festival
28 Autumn: Jake’s Birthday (Hyacinth, any Cocktail)

Winter


Winter Crops

Single Harvest Crops: Buckwheat, Yellow Herb
Multiple Harvest Crops: None
Winter Flowers: Anemone, Green Bell Flower, Snowflake Flower
Items found in the Wilds: Blue Herb, Green Herb, Purple Herb, Red Herb, Blackberry, Cranberry
On the Beach: Laver Seaweed

Winter Fish

Autumn and Winter: Angler Fish and Cod
Spring and Winter: Huchen, Pacific Halibut, Pacific Herring, Rock Trout, Tarpon, Yellowtail

Winter Festivals and Birthdays

2 Winter: Gill’s Birthday (Tomato Juice, Blue Herb, Remedy)
3 Winter: Pascal’s Birthday (Sea Urchin)
4 Winter: Hanna’s Birthday (Sakura Seashell, Morning Glory)
5 Winter: Harmony Day Festival
7 Winter: Candace’s Birthday (Snowflake Flower, Herbal Tea)
8 Winter: Simon’s Birthday ( Remedy, Yam)
10 Winter: Mira’s Birthday (Sakura Seashell)
11 Winter: Starry Night Festival
12 Winter: Colleen’s Birthday (Rose, any Cocktail)
14 Winter: Calvin’s Birthday (Sea Urchin, Boiled Egg, any Cocktail)
19 Winter: Shelly’s Birthday (Tulip, Sakura Seashell)
20 Winter: Paolo’s Birthday (Sea Urchin, any Shellfish)
22 Winter: Theodore’s Circus
23 Winter: Ozzie’s Birthday (Sea Urchin)
26 Winter: Jin’s Birthday (Herbal Tea)
28 Winter: New Year’s Festival

*Mushroom is the White Mushroom, not the Common Mushroom

Your Birthday in Sunshine Islands

In an earlier post, I hinted about the wonderful surprise I received on my character's Birthday in Sunshine Islands, but until now, I was unable to disclose more details. Here is a little video showing how Freya's birthday was celebrated in Sunshine Islands:



In fact, each Character in Sunshine Islands, apart from Haila, Nick and your own Child, will give one of three possible gifts to you for your Birthday. The very rare Firefly Flower that is Will's Most Favourite Gift is one of the items both he and the Harvest Goddess may give to you.

A Perfectly Stunning and Splendid Birthday in Harvest Moon

Without giving away any surprises, I was delighted by my latest birthday celebration in the Harvest Moon game I am playing at the moment. Shocked... thrilled... I think that players will be well pleased!

I have been playing Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games for a few years now but I still am capable of being startled by new options in these games. The creators appear to have boundless creativity and enthusiasm and although they build on beloved characters and traditions, there always is something new and wonderful added to the mix.

I personally would recommend that players try to play ALL of the games in each series if they can find them. A number of players have been asking whether they should invest in Sunshine Islands or Island of Happiness. I think it would be a mistake to dismiss Island of Happiness at this point. Much of my pleasure in exploring Sunshine Islands is derived from my experiences in Island of Happiness. The two games are similar in many respects but each is unique. I don't see these games as being progressively better, but rather as a continuing saga.

Long ago, when I explored the Library in 'More Friends of Mineral Town', I was able to appreciate the books about Forget-Me-Not Valley because I had played 'A Wonderful Life'. HM DS and Cute DS drew upon previous games set both in Mineral Town and Forget-Me-Not Valley. Island of Happiness introduces many new characters but still includes references to Mineral Town and indeed, characters from Mineral Town visit the Island annually. Frantic Farming, a different sort of Harvest Moon game, still has wonderful Events that involve the characters from Island of Happiness. As for Sunshine Islands... well, more about that later.

Players have begun to discuss Rune Factory 3 but I should hate to play any future Rune Factory game without having played the original Rune Factory, Rune Factory 2 and Rune Factory Frontier. All these games are linked by a common history.

I have to confess that I enjoy the sense of familiarity I experience whenever I explore a new Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game. I am glad that I have some idea of what I can expect... but the little surprises and changes are very exciting as well. The creators of these games appear to have a very fine sense of balance where any new game is concerned. Without jettisoning the traditional aspects of Harvest Moon and Rune Factory that fans have grown to love and expect, they always introduce enough new surprises to keep our experiences fresh and exciting.