Vertep is a Slavic folk Christmas puppet theater, but vertep is not only a performance. The word "vertep" has two meanings: the puppet performance itself and a special construction of the theater panel screen - a multistory box. Vertep represents a special kind of puppet technique - puppets are fixed on a a dowel that moves within the fissure in the bottom of the stage.

The tripartite vertical structure of a vertep is based on the Christmas mystery, representing life in Heaven, on Earth, and in Hell. The upper floor is intended for the Holy Family, the scenes of the adoration of the Shepherds and Magi, and the Annunciation. The ground floor shows King Herod’s room, and there the most scenes of vertep take place, such as the dialogues between the soldiers and Herod, Herod and the Magi, and Herod and Death, etc.

The structure of the mystery does not allow the inhabitants of Heaven (The Holy Family, angels, shepherds) to get down to the ground floor and the inhabitants of the lower scene (Herod, his servants, infernal forces) cannot reach to the upper floor. This is a very important feature of the scenography of the mystery, that lives of the upper and lower floors must never overlap or happen in the same space.

The "mechanistic" construction of a vertep is very static. The fissure made in the form of an arc partly reduces the monotony of movements and brings in variety: it gives the illusion that the puppets move over the whole area of the stage. The puppet-master, manipulating the puppets from under the floor of the stage, looks at them, closely approaching the face to the back wall of the vertep which has secret openings for the eyes. 

The construction of a vertep allows to lighten the upper and lower stories with a candle flame from hanging lanterns, and the Star of Bethlehem is lightened from under the roof of the vertep.

The Orthodox tradition of Belarusan, Ukrainian, and Russian verteps prohibit the participation of the Holy Family in any actions such as dialogues, manipulation of puppets, etc. The Holy Family may only appear as an object of worship for the shepherds and Magi. Angels act as messengers and speak in the name of God, they directly interfere in the action and play an important role in it.

The puppets of the vertep are not plastic, all their actions are based on dialogues, or to be more exact - monologues: even when communicating with each other the puppets actually speak to the audience. This fact, combined with the traditional construction of each puppet, give the theatrical effect to the performance. 

Shadow theater as a form of visual art appeared in Asia more than 1500 years ago. During the performance in such kind of theater artists use a translucent screen, a projector and flat colored puppets that are put into motion by actors. When the puppets stick to the screen or are placed very close to it, they become visible to the spectators. Therefore the best name for this kind of theater can be "a theater of marionettes' outlines".

Most of the puppets are made of a very thin camel or goat skin, but paper and carton can also be used for producing marionettes. Figures may be both flexible or firm, may be solid or consist of several parts. The forms usually vary depending on aims, type of performance and imagination of the craftsman. The actors put figures in motion by means of long, thin wooden, metal or bamboo sticks.

Shadow puppetry appeared in India and China in the second millennium b.C. and later spread widely there. Warriors of Genghis Khan brought this art-form to other Asian countries. Shadow theater developed most in Turkey during the 16th century. Those fascinating shows appeared in Europe only in the second half of the 18th century, brought there by the French missionary Jules Alod. Goethe himself organized a performance in a shadow theater in the 1770s. This is how Germany, and then Great Britain got to know about this art.

Shadow theaters show fantastic folklore or mythological stories, but the styles and cultural characteristics of shadow plays differ from country to country. Chinese shadow plays usually perform historical scenes; Indian plays have a religious or epic background, while the Turkish plays are mostly comedy.

Today shadow theater is a rare phenomenon, which is on the verge of extinction. Collectors are willing to pay huge sums to become holders of old leather puppets, made by ancient craftsmen with great love.

Nowadays shadow theater performances are very popular in Indonesia. In China authorities are discussing the necessity to apply for including shadow theater in the UNESCO World Heritage List, otherwise there is still a possibility that this ancient oriental art-form may disappear.