ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Chinese Orthodox Church

Okay kiddo, so there are many different groups of people who believe in God and go to church to pray and worship. One of these groups is called the Chinese Orthodox Church. This means that the people who go to this church follow the Orthodox Christian faith, but they live in China and have their own unique traditions and ways of doing things.

The Chinese Orthodox Church was started a long time ago, about 1,300 years ago, by a man named St. Nicalaos. He was a missionary who traveled to China from Greece to share the Christian faith with the people there. Over time, the Chinese people who were interested in Christianity adopted their own traditions and practices, and these became part of the Chinese Orthodox Church.

One of the things that makes the Chinese Orthodox Church different from other churches is their use of icons. Icons are pictures of important religious figures, like Jesus or Mary or the saints, that they use to help them pray and connect with God. The Chinese Orthodox Church also has their own special language that they use during their services, called Church Slavonic.

Even though the Chinese Orthodox Church is a Christian church, they are also influenced by the culture and traditions of China. For example, they celebrate important Chinese holidays like Chinese New Year, and they incorporate Chinese symbolism and art into their church buildings and decorations.

So in summary, the Chinese Orthodox Church is a group of people in China who believe in God and go to church, but they have their own unique way of practicing their faith that combines Orthodox Christianity with Chinese culture and traditions.