How did the Chinese Animal Zodiac come about?

There seem to be different stories about this, but is there a definitive answer?How did the Chinese Animal Zodiac come about?
There are several legends . . . none of them claim to the the "definitive" answer!



How did the Animals come to represent the Zodiac?



But how did the 12 animals come to represent the 12 earthly branches? There are different explanations. According to one myth, on the Chinese New Year Buddha convened the animal kingdom to determine how to restore order in the world; however, only 12 animals showed up. Thus the 12 animals came to represent the Chinese zodiac cycle, each presiding over one year. The order of the 12 signs was determined by Buddha at the celebration based on the chronology of the animals鈥?arrival to the meeting: the first was the rat, followed by the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig successively.



Based on this order of arrival, Buddha gave each animal a year of its own, bestowing the nature and characteristics of each animal on people born on the corresponding year.



According to another legend, the twelve animals quarreled one day over who would be the head of the cycle. So the gods decided to hold a contest: whoever reached the opposite bank of the river first would be the leader and the rest would follow in turn. All the animals gathered at the riverbank and jumped in. Unbeknownst to the ox, the rat jumped on his back. As the ox was about to climb ashore, the rat jumped off its back and won the race. The lazy pig finished last. The rat, therefore, is the first animal in the cycle; the ox is second; and the pig, last.



It is also said that Buddha promised to designate the first 12 animals as the signs of a year in order of appearance at the convention. One night before the event the cat and his pal the rat agreed that the first to wake the following morning would wake the other. However, the rat broke his promise and arrived at the meeting first. The ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig followed respectively. When the cat finally awoke and hurried to the meeting place, it was all over. According to legend, this is why cats prey on rats.



http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_chinaw鈥?/a>



Good luck!How did the Chinese Animal Zodiac come about?
I'm not sure, but there's a story about God(not to be religous) asking all the animals for a banquet one day. He told them all to come, so the Ox, Mouse, Cat, Tiger, Horse, Dragon, Rooster, Lamb, Rabbit, Dog, Boar, Monkey, and Snake were going to come. The Mouse, as it is said children of the mouse are "special," tricked the Cat into thinking the banquet was the next day. So the Cat stood in bed and didn't get up, so it did not go to the banquet.



The Mouse also rode the Ox to the banquet, but you can't call someone stupid for that of course...



All the animals that made it to the banquet were awarded in memory, each representing a certain place in time...



I'm sure this is only 1 of the many stories, beside this I don't know any more.