Vertep facts for kids
Vertep (pronounced ver-TEP) is a special kind of puppet theatre from Ukrainian culture. It's like a portable stage in a wooden box! People used it to show the story of Christmas, especially the nativity scene (where Jesus was born). The word "vertep" actually means "secret place" or "cave," like the cave in Bethlehem where the Christmas story happened.
This tradition started a long time ago. In the 17th century, it became popular in parts of the Russian Empire, especially after the Ukrainian Cossack lands joined the empire. In Belarusian culture, a similar theatre is called Batlejka.
How Vertep Works
A typical vertep was a wooden box, often with two levels, like a tiny two-story house. Puppeteers would move wooden puppets through slots in the floors.
The top floor of the box was usually for the Christmas story. The bottom floor was used for other plays. These plays were often funny and showed everyday life. They sometimes featured characters like King Herod and Rachel from the Bible story.
After the Russian Revolution in 1917, the government didn't like religious traditions. Because of this, the Christmas vertep shows almost disappeared by the 1930s.
Vertep in Ukraine
The Ukrainian vertep, or puppet theatre, first appeared in the late 1500s or early 1600s. It was inspired by popular plays from Western Europe. Many believe students from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy helped spread this tradition. Traveling students and deacons (church helpers) made the vertep theatre well-known in Ukrainian villages.
Vertep shows had different styles depending on the region. The performance was usually split into two parts:
- The first part was religious, based on the Nativity scene with short scenes in between.
- The second part was about everyday life. These plays were often comedies that made fun of different groups of people. Characters might include a Kozak (Ukrainian), a Liakh (Pole), a Moskal (Muscovite), a Zhyd (Jew), or a Tsyhan (Gypsy). Each character often had their own special dance music. Religious Christmas carols were also sung, often in beautiful harmony.
The vertep box usually had a multi-story design. The religious part of the show happened on the top level. The everyday life stories took place only on the bottom floor.
Today, especially around Christmas, young children sometimes dress up as the characters and act out vertep plays. This tradition is very popular in Western Ukraine. Vertep in Ukraine also became closely linked with singing Ukrainian Carols (called kolyadki).
See also
