ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Antimension

Okay kiddo, so an antimension is a special cloth that the Christian Orthodox Church uses during their religious services. It's a white cloth that has a picture of Jesus or some saints on it, and it's placed on the altar table.

When the priest does a communion service, meaning when they give people the bread and wine to symbolize the body and blood of Jesus, they put the bread and wine on top of the antimension. This is kind of like a special tablecloth, but it's not just any old tablecloth. It's a really important cloth that the priest has to have with them when they do the service.

The antimension is often signed by the bishop, which is a really important religious figure in the Orthodox Church. This makes the antimension even more special and important.

So, why is the antimension so important, you might ask? Well, it's because it symbolizes how important Jesus and his teachings are to the Orthodox Church. It's also a symbol of the unity of the Church, because all the priests who use an antimension are using the same cloth with the same picture on it, which connects them all together.

Overall, the antimension is an important symbol and tool used in Orthodox Christian religious services, and has a lot of meaning behind it.
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