JAKARTA (JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – A 54-year-old man living in East Java was named Slamet Hari Natal, meaning Merry Christmas, by his parents because he was born on Dec 25, 1962.
“Yes, that’s my name,” the man said as quoted by tribunnews.com on Tuesday (Dec 27).
He showed his ID card and family card, which said his name was “Slamet Hari Natal”.
“It was supposed to be Selamat Hari Natal, but because we are Javanese, it became Slamet,” he said.
He said his mother gave birth to him in the house of the midwife, named Akas Kiyo, in Tumpang, Malang. The midwife was Christian and suggested his parents to name him Selamat Hari Natal, the Indonesian Christmas greeting.
His parents, although Muslims, decided to accept the suggestion but named him Slamet instead. Slamet is a common Javanese name and loosely translates to “safe”.
“They said they didn’t want to think hard for the name, and they had that name ready, so they accepted the suggestion,” he said.
He has one sister named Mujiati.
Although his name is Slamet Hari Natal and he is a Muslim, he said he never received any criticism from his neighbours.
“No, never. We practice tolerance here,” he said.
Source: www.straitstimes.com
