Eastern Orthodoxy...?

I honestly have no clue about the following issues. Can anyone help?:

#1: Can anyone be Orthodox Christian, or do you have to be from a certain ethnicity? The reason why I ask is because there's not one Orthodox Church, but there are Coptic (Egyptian) Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, etc. that serves only the ethnicity/nationality in their name

#2: What are their views on the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary? Do they pray to her as Catholics do, and do they believe in the Catholic Apparitions of Mary?

Thanks!

1 the ethnicity is actually a marker of the internal political structure governing the local church. The US is, strangely, the only part of the Orthodox church that doesn't have a domestic church. It is an accident of historical immigration patterns. It was really a marker that showed language difference rather than political ones. Russian Orthodox have Russian services, Greek Orthodox have Greek services. Ironically, it is on the Eastern rite Catholic side that everything is in English and the group is close to unified in terms of Church politics. It isn't entirely true because the Church of Antioch still governs the Antiochene rite portion, but the Church of Pittsburgh in the Catholic Church (Ruthenian portion) is entirely self governing. The irony is that is the Ruthenian Branch of the Catholic Church that is the self governing portion and not other portions due to the Cold War. Anyone can join any group because to be baptized is to be both Catholic and Orthodox unless you renounce it.

#2 Like Catholics, Orthodox follow the practices of the first century. Whereas Roman Patriarchate Catholics use services derived from those by Peter the Apostle, the Orthodox either use shortened services of those written by James or Mark. Also some parts of the Catholic Church use services by Thomas in the East. The veneration of the Blessed Virgin is very ancient. This surprises many Protestants but it is clearly part of the earliest Christian services, just based on the archeology. There are copies of Christian services older than the copies of scripture out there. In many respects more is known about ancient worship than about some parts of the New Testament.

Orthodox are in some ways more extreme, because they read the scripture in the original tongues and don't have to read it in translation (you would be surprised what Luke says about Mary without the politics of translation getting in the way) and some of the Antiochene services are in Aramaic still (where do you think Mel Gibson got native Aramaic speakers). On the other hand, because they do not think of original sin as Western Catholics and Protestants do, they would say if you read the bible in Greek or Hebrew you couldn't arrive at the Reformation's view of sin, they are also less dogmatic about Mary.

Greek orthodox,Russian orthodox,Ukrainian orthodox and Copts churches right here to me and their congregations reflect various races ,apparently all are welcomed which would only be the way.

The Mother of Christ is most certainly venerated and also prayed to as intercessor-- under various titles.
Her premiere title is Theotokos.

as for belief in apparitions,i honestly don't know the answer to that
but
will "give" you a video from a Coptic Church in Egypt--
http://www.zeitun-eg.org/stmaridx.htm

circa 1968-69.

I do believe this .

for your discernment.

1. Copts aren't Eastern Orthodox. They didn't ace pt reforms of 4Th Ecumenical Council in Chalcedon (451 AD)

Yes, you can be an EO Christian whiteout being a Greek, Russian, Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian or Ukrainian. All EO Churches in the US welcome well potential converts but I rec commend you visiting a Church from Orthodox Church in America or Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese - they are best in missionary practices.

2. check this article: http://www.stmaryofegypt.org/library/st_john_maximovich/on_veneration_of_the_theotokos.htm