Virtual Vertep Vision is a series of articles and videos dedicated to each character of the traditional Ukrainian Vertep. Created as part of the project “BoykoTravel: Vertep PreServes Ukraine”, implemented with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.
A wondrous joy has risen,
The world has never known;
Above the humble manger now
A shining star has shone.
(Ukrainian cant, 17th c.)
In Ukrainian tradition, the Christmas theatre-box is both the material setting of the Nativity and a model of the ordered Christian cosmos. It unites the memory of liturgical drama with folk theatre, recreating the “great story of salvation” through small-scale architecture. This box has many names, but the most common are Portable Stable, Shopka, or simply the Vertep.
Form and Structure. A small portable wooden house, often in the form of a church, a two-story manor (Sokyrynskyi Vertep, Kyiv Academy, 18th c.), or a one-story peasant cottage. In the Halychyna-Carpathian tradition, facades often include 1–3 towers and a cross; the three roofs are seen as a sign of the Holy Trinity. The facade was covered with colorful paper and decorated with cutouts, flowers, and icons; arches were adorned with evergreen boxwood – a symbol of hope and eternal life. The inside was lined with fresh moss; a manger was placed in the right corner; a candle was lit before it – the main stage light, and a theological symbol of “the light that shines in the darkness.”
Two-Level Structure and Stage Design. The defining feature of the Ukrainian Vertep box, as opposed to the Polish szopka, is its two-tier layout: the upper level – “heaven” for the biblical story; the lower – “earth” for the folk and satirical interludes. “Hell” is placed backstage – where the Devil or Death “drag” the sinners away. Ivan Franko (1906) was the first to describe this difference, emphasizing that in the Ukrainian Vertep the sacred scenes are performed separately from the everyday ones. The vertical axis (up/down) and the horizontal movement (right/left) form the image of the World Tree and the cross-shaped logic of actions.
Mechanics of Play. Puppet figures attached to rods move through slots in the stage floor; in some cases, characters are paired together for synchronized entrances. Texts, singing, and live music are synchronized with the movement of the figurines – the box and the choir together create a single ritual space.
Materials and Iconography. The base is wood; the exterior – colored paper, sometimes fabric; the interior – moss, candle, paper or wooden figurines, sometimes dressed in real fabric clothes. In the Carpathian region, local ornamentation, scenic backdrops, and carved facades are common; in urban craftsmanship, more decorative painted facades appear.
Function. The box structures the drama: the upper level presents the proclamation of Christmas, the lower level – the moral comedy, where human flaws are mocked and punished. The climax is Death’s arrival to Herod. Its portability embodies the archetype of Movement/Passage: the joy of Christmas enters the home, making it a meeting place of heaven and earth.
Modern Reconstructions. Author-made Verteps recreate historical proportions, materials, and symbolism, while updating figurines and decorative elements. Reconstructions based on the Sokyrynskyi Vertep restore the classical two-tier architecture – a canon in which theatre once again becomes a bearer of theology within folk culture.