The twelve animals were the rat, ox, tiger, dragon, rabbit, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog and the pig. Instead of the pig, the twelfth sign should have been the cat but that rat was tricky and "forgot" to invite him.

All story telling aside, the Chinese zodiac symbols are represented by the twelve aforementioned animals. Each sign is for one year and you are given the symbol based upon your birth year. The signs rotate according to a twelve year cycle.

2008 is the year of that devious and clever rat. One website that explains more about your sign is "Chinese Astrology". It is full of informative data regarding the Chinese zodiac.

One aspect of it that people do take seriously is the compatible zodiac signs to their own sign. Sometimes, the sign compatibility factor plays a major role in personal relationships, because with such signs, there are different personality characteristics that are said to represent the person's true self.

Whether or not this is true and should be believed is for you to decide. Sometimes the Chinese zodiac sign is accurate and people really base their worldly decisions on whatever the prediction is for that day, month or year.

One important note: if you are a fan of zodiac signs tattoos and want to get your Chinese zodiac sign tattooed on your body, then make sure that the symbol is accurate. Words in a foreign language often do not translate into the same meaning in other languages.

On the website mentioned, there are zodiac pictures that you will find to be quite unique. It would be terribly unfortunate for you to get a tattoo of your zodiac symbol and later realize that it has no relation to it.

Chinese zodiac symbols are rife with history and legend. Everyone interested in a Chinese zodiac sign should know about the Jade King and his tricky rat that outsmarted the cat. The cat would have been one of the twelve signs had it not been for the rat failing to give him his invitation.

That rat was crafty and so the pig got the cat's spot. If you are interested in learning more about the mythology and the mechanics behind the signs and how they cycle through time, then you can always find more information on the internet.