Indonesian Man Becomes Local Celebrity For Being Named ‘Merry Christmas’

December 29, 2016

For many of us, Christmas comes only once each year.

However, for Slamet Hari Natal of Indonesia, Christmas is everyday life even if he’s Muslim.

That’s because his name literally translates to “Merry Christmas”.

Well, it makes sense — Slamet was born on December 25, 1962. At the time, his mother was attended by a Christian midwife who actually suggested the moniker.

Today, 54-year-old Slamet, who lives in Malang regency, East Java, has acquired somewhat of a celebrity status. Showing his ID and family cards, he was quoted by Tribune News (via The Jakarta Post):

“Yes, that’s my name. It was supposed to be Selamat Hari Natal, but because we are Javanese, it became Slamet.”

His parents, who were also Muslims, took the midwife’s idea:

“They said they didn’t want to think hard for the name, and they had that name ready, so they accepted the suggestion.”

Slamet said he never received criticisms from neighbors over his name, as they “practice tolerance here.”

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