夏至 Xiazhi (Summer Solstice) Xiazhi is the summit of summer. Usually it’s between 6/21-6/22. In 2017 it’ll be 6/21. First pentad: Deer’s antlers fall off. Ancient Chinese people believe deers belong to yang, for their antlers point forward, and moose belongs to yin. At Xiazhi, yang reaches the extreme and start to decrease, while yin starts to increase, so deer’s antlers start to fall off. Same thing happens to moose at winter solstice. Second pentad: cicada starts to sing. Last pentad: A kind of herb which likes yin starts to appear. I picked cicada as the animal for Xiazhi, which is mentioned in the pentad, and also is a signature insect in summer. The antlers of deers is also a beautiful element, so I put it as a pattern on his wings. For the fruit I chose watermelon, the best fruit for a hot summer. I was a little worried when I first finished because I felt the watermelon is somewhat too obvious, but the feedback I got was fine.