Vertep

In Ukrainian culture, vertep (вертеп, pronounced [ʋerˈtɛp] , from Church Slavonic: вєртє́пъ [ʋerˈtep], lit. 'cave') is a portable puppet theatre and drama, which presents the nativity scene, other mystery plays, as well as secular plots with satirical and comical elements. The original meaning of the word is "secret place", "cave", "den", referring to the cave where Christ was born, i.e., the Bethlehem Cave. Vertep first appeared in the second half of the 16th century under the influence of Western European traditions, which spread to Ukrainian lands, then part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It developed from the traditions of school drama and is related to the Polish szopka, Belarusian batlejka and Western European marionette theatre. Vertep reached the peak of its popularity in the Ukrainian Cossack Hetmanate, which would eventually become a protectorate of the Russian Empire.