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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, СІЧЕНЬ 201 3 WWW. UNWLA.ORG 17 forming their amateur vertep in front of the f a- mous professional actor, to their relief, he really liked it. The scripts for both the 1989 and the 1990 vertepy were written by Iryna Kalynets', another famous arrestee of 1972, and included some un u- sual characters. For example, in the 1990 vertep Ms. Procyk played the role of Abraham's wife. Their devil character that year was outfitted in a black tuxedo and a top hat, borrowed from the L'viv Opera House, and delivered a speech couched in familiar So viet rhetoric — about coming from the east to bring culture and industry to Ukraine and to make all nations brothers. The script of that vertep also incorporated poetry by Vasyl' Stus, which was still forbidden at the time. The reciting of these poems woul d inevitably bring on first disbelief and then great joy in the audiences. The Lion Society's v ertep performances were in such demand that by the third day of Christmas, the participants would often be e x- hausted, with voices hoarse from singing. Howe v- er, they pressed on, visiting homes late into the night, and often resumed their performances on Epiphany Day, January 19th. By the Christmas of 1990, live Nativity plays had gained so much ground that a Vertep Parade was held in L'viv's Market Square, righ t in front of the City Hall. Vertep y from various towns and villages in the L'viv region joined the local groups in showcasing their talents and publicly celebrating Christ's birth. The spectators filled the entire Market Square and some of its side stree ts. “As I approached one of the four micr o- phones on the stage to recite my lines, I thought to myself that never again in my life would I have an opportunity to address such an enormous a u- dience,” remembers Ms. Procyk. Her hunch was right, as that year pro bably saw the peak of e n- thusiasm over newly revived vertep traditions. About 60 vertep groups had participated in the Parade; eight of them were acknowledged as the best and invited to give more performances at di f- ferent concert venues across L'viv. One o f those eight was a student vertep from the Academy of Veterinary Medicine, organized by my father who taught at that institution at the time. The following year, the Lion Society gat h- ered a vertep once again — this time using the modernist poetry by Ihor Kalynets' in their script. But as vertepy quickly became a permanent fi x- ture of Christmas celebrations in Ukraine, their group moved on to other activities. My own family kept up the tradition a l i t- tle longer. In 1990, emboldened by the sweeping cultural and national renaissance in L'viv, my parents decided to include children in their vertep . My first role as a little shepherd was memorable, but not as exciting as playing one of the angels the nex t year. I wore a long white dress, and my ever inventive father fashioned a pair of wings for me out of wire and gauze. You had to put them on like a backpack, and although they made getting in and out of the car very cu m- bersome, I proudly wore them as we went from home to home — announcing the birth of the Holy Child and a rebirth of hope for all of Ukraine that a better future was on the way. * * * Unfortunately, there are almost no photos or videos documenting these momentous events in L'viv. Even in th e early 1990s, good - quality pi c- ture and video cameras were still a rare commod i- ty in Ukraine. That is why, despite my best efforts to find images from the vertep revival in L'viv, no photos accompany this article. _________ ___ _ ____ ___ Ігор Калинець Вертеп Підпираючись костуром ямбів, натягнувши кирею традицій, прощаюсь з віком атомним, бо щось мені не сидиться. І вже мандрівним спудеєм топчу снігові верета, промінявши жупища келій на біблійну скриньку вертепу. Затихає хупаве місто. Стіл. Заметіль. Гостина. У кратерах макітр замішане тісто солодке стигне. Бринять ракети веретен в галактиці каганцевої містики. На сосновім деці вертепу починається перше дійство. (з циклу "Відчинення вертепу," 1967)
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