Time-Restricted Ramadan Missions

Family Farm Seaside pays homage to one of the great festivals of the world in the new time-restricted Ramadan Missions.

As usual, the Missions consist of a Collections Mission in tandem with a traditional Quest sequence.  The Collections Mission is as follows:

Ramadan Collection Mission
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Collect Ramadhan Lanterns:

70 Green Lanterns from Spinach
50 Purple Lanterns from Grape Jam
30 Yellow Lanterns from Veggie Burgers
10 Red Lanterns from Wild Rose

Rewards:  Garden Lantern and Pomegranate Tree

Note:  You can purchase a Pomegranate Tree in the Market now for 10 RC


The traditional Quest sequence is as follows:

Ramadan Quests
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Ramadan I
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Good news!  Mty friend is visitng the farm and he says we can experience Ramadan together.  Grandma and Felicia will try it too, so I'll have to help them to finish all the farm tasks.

Harvest 40 Rice
  Skip for 20 RC

Produce 20 glasses of Apple Juice
  Skip for 10 RC

Prepare 6 Bowls of Nut Mix
  Skip for 6 RC

Reward: 85 Coins, 10 XP

Darryl:  We're all set for my friend's visit!

Ramadan II
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Darryl:  Did you know that bread is a staple food in Arab countries because it is rich in fibre?  Can you help me prepare some?

Produce 40 Black Bread
  Skip for 20 RC

Produce 40 Oat Bread
  Skip for 20 RC

Produce 10 Arabic Kabsa
  Skip for 10 RC

Darryl:  That looks delicious!  This will certianly make a good impression!

Reward: 90 Coins, 12 XP

Ramadan III
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Darryl:  My friend asked me to be a drummer this Ramadan.  This means I have to wake up every one in the morning for Suhoor, the meal served before dawn.  I can't wait to be a drummer, but I'll need a drum first!

Collect 20 Ramadan Drums from Neighbours
  Skip for 20 RC

Harvest 50 Spinach
  Skip for 25 RC

Prepare 20 Spinach Soup
  Skip for 20 RC

Reward: 100 Coins, 20 XP

Darryl:  What do you think of my new drum?


Ramadan IV
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Darryl:  My friend gave me the recipe of a dish his mother always prepares during Ramadan.  Let's surprise Grandma with it!  My friend says it's easy to make and really healthy!

Harvest 50 Onions
  Skip for 25 RC

Prepare 20 Plates of Spinach Salad
  Skip for 20 RC

Harvest 10 Mangoes
  Skip for 10 RC

Reward: 100 Coins, 14 XP

Darryl:  This dish looks fantastic and it smells amazing!

Ramadan V
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Darryl:  Grandma said Ramadan is the perfect time to help other people.  So let's show our love to our neighbours and surprise them with gifts!

Place Pomegranate Tree on your Farm (from Collections Mission)

Harvest 4 Pomegranates
  Skip for 4 RC

Fertilise your Neighbours' Farms 40 Times
  Skip for 40 RC

Reward: 110 Coins, 14 XP

Darryl:  Every one was so happy with our surprise!

Ramadan VI
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Darryl:  During Ramadan, you can't eat whenever you want.  You can only eat before sunrise and after sunset!  Let's set up some lights and prepare some healthy appetisers for an evening feast!

Place a Garden Lantern on your Farm  (from Collections Mission)

Harvest 50 Love Fruit
  Skip for 25 RC

Prepare 15 Grape Cornbread
  Skip for 15 RC

Reward: 110 Coins, 15 XP

Darryl:  The Lantern really lights up the place!  It looks so beautiful!

Ramadan VII
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Darryl:  The main dish still takes some time!  Let's offer the guests some snacks that are made with this amazing fruit called pomegranate.  It's so versatile and sweet!

Prepare 4 Pomegranate Cookies
  Skip for 4 RC

Prepare 6 Pomegranate Salad
  Skip for 6 RC

Produce 50 Love Cakes
   Skip for 25 RC

Reward: 110 Coins, 15 XP

Darryl:  I'm sure every one will be super happy today.  Especially Grandma because she seems to like the cookies very much!


Ramadan VIII
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Darryl:  Nothing beats good food and it's great to eat together with family and friends!  Oh no, they want me to share the secret of my new recipe!  Let's run to the Kitchen to avoid all those questions!

Prepare 10 Stuffed Turkeys
  Skip for 10 RC

Prepare 10 plates of Spinach Dumplings
  Skip for 10 RC

Prepare 20 plates of Sweet and Savoury Feast
  Skip for 20 RC

Reward: 120 Coins, 16 XP

Darryl:  We wish every one a nice Ramadan with their family and friends!

FINAL REWARD:  Tower of Arab Decoration

The Tower of Arab Decoration can be cleaned and will yield a purple Gift Cleaning Bag

As often is the case, there are new Recipes in the Kitchen that are features in the traditional Mission/Quest:

New Kitchen Recipes
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Spinach Soup: 105 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Spinach, Milk

Spinach Salad: 757 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients: Spinach x 2, Onion x 2

Spinach Dumplings: 1402 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Spinach Salad,  Soft Dough

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Pomegranate Cookie: 651 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Pomegranate, Soft Dough

Pomegranate Fruit Salad: 244 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients: Pomegranate, Fruit Salad x 2

Sweet and Savoury Feast: 1720 Coins, 1 XP
  Ingredients:  Pomegranate Fruit Salad, Spinach Dumplings

Strategies and Tips
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Since the addition of the Kitchen to the game, most Missions include Cooked Dishes and the Ramadan mission is no exception.  In fact, it makes sense as Ramadhan is very much associated with the wonderful feasts in the form of 'Iftar' that mark the end of each day's fasting after sundown.

In Seaside, you must have Power in order to use your Kitchen.  The default amount of Power is 30 and each Dish requires 1 Power.  In many cases, the Dishes that are required in Missions include those for which the Ingredients are themselves Cooked Dishes.  You therefore sometimes can need 4 or 5 Powers instead of 1 Power to make a single Dish.

Cooked Dishes tend to be in sequences or groups of three.  The third Dish usually has the first two as its Ingredients.  For example, in the case of Spinach Dumplings, one of the new Recipes released in conjunction with the Ramadan Missions, the Ingredients are two Cooked Dishes in the form of Spinach Salad and Soft Dough, although only one of these, the Spinach Salad, is in the 'group of three'.  Soft Dough is one of the 'staples' used in a large number of Recipes in the Kitchen, however, and can be made in advance of any Mission, as you can expect to find it as one of the Ingredients you will need on a regular basis, whether for an ordinary Level-based Mission, a Time-Restricted Mission or for completion of a Daily Order.  As I have mentioned in the context of strategies for other Time-Restricted Mission, I always make as much Cake Flour, Batter and Soft Dough as possible when I have no requirements to satisfy and then store them for future use.  The fact that I had over 100 Soft Dough in my Barn before the start of the Ramadan Mission gave me a great advantage in terms of the tasks that involved Cooked Dishes, particularly as two of the new Recipes used Soft Dough as an Ingredient.

Recently, some of the Decorations in Seaside have been designated as 'cleanable' which means that, when they are placed on your Farm, any Neighbour who visits can 'clean' them with a virtual brush to obtain a Reward.  Originally the Reward was a single item in a 'Gift Bag'.  Now, however, the bag has been replaced with a little hat box and up to three items randomly can be found when the box is opened.  One of the items one can obtain from a cleaning Gift Bag or Box is 1 Power.  Others include OP and Coins.  Both Power and OP are extremely useful for Time-Restricted Quests as OP allows one to place an Animal or Machine on Automation and Power can be added to the default number of 30 to allow a player to make more Dishes at any given point in time.  In the final Quest in the Ramadan sequence, one must make a total of 40 Dishes,   All of these have Cooked Dishes as Ingredients which means that the MINIMUM amount of Power you need to complete this task is 40 but the maximum could be double that if you did not prepare in advance. 

You are not required to place Cleanable Decorations on your Farm but every Decoration that is cleaned on any given day gives both the Neighbour who cleans it and the owner of the Decoration a Gift Box.  I usually do not open mine until a new Time-Restricte Mission appears.  Then I open the Gift Boxes I have stored.  At the start of the Ramadan Mission, I was able to gather 80 Power from all the Cleaning Gift Boxes and Bags I had collected mainly from Neighbours' visits to MY Farm.  Often when I visit other Farms, there are no Cleanable Decorations, either because the Farmer has not placed them or because they have been cleaned by some one else.  In any event, if you are a Farmer who does not understand why other Farmers use valuable space for Decorations, the Rewards are the reason!  I personally find it a little awkward to have Christmas Decorations on my Farm in the middle of Summer but I have so many Decorations now that I can fill my Farm without using any of them.  Many of the final Rewards for Time-Restricted Missions, including the Tower of Arab that is the final Reward for the Ramadan Mission, are 'cleanable'.

You need to prepare 20 Spinach Salad  in Part IV.  Do not sell these as you will need them as one of the Ingredients for the 20 Spinach Dumplings required in Part VIII.  Fruit Salad is one of the Ingredients in Pomegranate Fruit Salad.  In fact, for each Pomegranate Fruit Salad you make, you need 2 Fruit Salads.  Make these in advance if possible.  Many of the tasks do not involve cooking, so when you reach one of THOSE tasks in the Mission, use your 30 Power to make Fruit Salad or Soft Dough.

The 10 Arabic Kabsa in Ramadan II are an Ingredient in the Stuffed Turkey in Ramadan VIII.  In fact, Aarbic Kabsa is made with Rice and Soft Dough, so here is another Dish that requires Soft Dough!   Moreover, Stuffed Turkey is the third and final Dish in a group of three and to make it, you need the first two Dishes in the group for the Ingredients.  As you will need to make 20 Stuffed Turkey, therefore, you will need 20 Arabic Kabsa (10 more than the number required for Ramadan II) and 20 Roast Turkey.  The Ingredients for Roast Turkey are not made in the Kitchen but there is no harm in making that in advance either.  You will need 20 Turkey (produced by the Turkey) and 20 Ketchup made in the Sauce Machine.

You do have plenty of time to complete this Mission, but some Players like to complete Missions as quickly as possible.  I am included in that number.  I would rather complete any Time-Restricted Mission as early as possible than to fret about running out of time.  It is an additional challenge as well.

History and Significance of Ramadan
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The Islamic Calendar is a Lunar Calendar which means that any Festival, including Ramadan, will fall at a different time each year.  As the years pass, Ramadan will be celebrated in every season.    Ramadan begins with the sighting of the crescent moon or Hilal and is celebrated for a full lunar month.  The basis of Ramadan is purification through fasting and charitable acts.

During the month of Ramadan, all Muslims (with some exceptions for health reasons and difficulties caused by travel) must fast from sunrise to sunset.  Fasting traiditionally is broken first with dates and then with a feast known as Iftar.  During the month of Ramadan, Muslims tend to gather in the mosques to celebrate the breaking of the fast and to eat communally after sunset.  The reading of the Holy Qur'an is another activity that is characteristic of Ramadan.  Many Muslims make vows to read the entire Qur'an during the course of the month.

Fasting or 'Sawm'  is one of the five 'Pillars of Islam'.  It is not merely the act of abstaining from food and drink but from physical gratification of other sorts as well.  During the month of Ramadan, fasting is intended to bring the worshipper closer to God.  Acts of charity are as much a part of Ramadan as fasting.  Giving to the poor in very concrete ways, such as inviting poorer families or individuals to dinner is part of the Ramadan observance.  During the course of each day, as one abstains from food and drink, one is reminded constantly of the privations of the less fortunate.

Non-Muslims sometimes perceive Ramadan as a rather harsh observance because they do not comprehend the emotions that are associated with the fast.  If you speak to Muslims about the fast, however, you will find that it is an incredible experience wherein every moment of the day is one wherein one is reminded of the Creator and His bounty.  Every time one thinks of food or drink and then abstains, one dedicates oneself anew to God.  The date that breaks the fast at sunset moreover is appreciated far more than food eaten at any other time.  Iftar is more significant for the fasting that precedes it.  People join together to celebrate the end of the fast each night and their ability to withstand temptation during the day.

The end of Ramadan is celebrated in the Eid al Fitr.  Special prayers mark the end of Ramadhan.   Gifts are given and one visits friends and family during the Eid.

May all those who observe the fast find closeness to Allah SWT and may this Ramadhan be a blessed one.  May the poor find aid and may the oppressed find liberation from that oppression.