The Chinese calendar
Within over then five thousand year of history, using lunar calendar for celebrating seasoning holidays and keeping the sense of family, respect of elders.
The Chinese tradition has 12 Zodiac signs name after 12 animals to represent the years with each in turn: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. And
Why were those animals selected?
Long time ago, during the reign of Emperor Jade, the ruler of all Gods within Chinese mythology, wish to celebrate his birthday and find a way to measure time. So he sent out the message to all animals, at that specific day, the first 12 animals who succeed to cross the river, will be choose to become the animal in the calendar, in following the result of the crossing arrival order. Then after the event, those 12 animals became the embassy of the year, each on gets a year mandates every 11 years.
https://project-youyi.com/wechat/how-the-animals-of-the-chinese-zodiac-got-their-place/Read about this story here.
Those are the event during the year