How to Say Merry Christmas in Indonesian

Asia

Nov 3

Written by Kelsey Cecil

Merry Christmas in Indonesian

Selamat Natal

Say it like this: seh-LAH-maht NAH-tahl

Big letters show the part to say louder.

Quick answer

In Indonesian, Merry Christmas is Selamat Natal, said like seh-LAH-maht NAH-tahl.
Happy New Year is Selamat Tahun Baru.
People say it in Indonesia.

What Selamat Natal means

'Selamat' is a word for wishing someone well, and 'Natal' is Christmas.

Other ways to say it in Indonesian

Selamat Hari Natal

Say it like this: seh-LAH-maht HAH-ree NAH-tahl

'Happy Christmas Day', slightly fuller and common in speeches and messages.

Happy New Year

Selamat Tahun Baru

Say it like this: seh-LAH-maht TAH-hoon BAH-roo

Happy New Year: 'tahun baru' means new year.

To write in a Christmas card

Selamat Natal dan Tahun Baru

Say it like this: seh-LAH-maht NAH-tahl dahn TAH-hoon BAH-roo

Where people speak Indonesian

Indonesia

Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) belongs to the Austronesian language family.

Hear it from Rally on Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, Rally the corgi rides the Christmas Train around the world. He reaches Jakarta at about 12:00 AM local time, and kids learn to say Selamat Natal as he lands.

Watch Rally arrive in Jakarta →

Christmas traditions where people speak Indonesian

Christmas cookies: Families bake or buy Christmas cookies. Favorites are nastar (pineapple jam butter cookies), kastengel (cheese cookies) and putri salju, small peanut cookies dusted with powdered sugar.^[2][3]
Feather Christmas trees in Bali: In Bali, some people make Christmas trees from chicken feathers by hand. Bali is mostly Hindu, so Christmas there is a small, local celebration with its own handmade decorations.^[2][3]
Nativity dramas: Churches often build nativity scenes and perform nativity plays. In Yogyakarta, shadow puppet shows called wayang kulit retell the birth of Jesus.^[2][3]

🎄 Quick game: Merry Christmas in Indonesian

Three quick questions for kids. Tap an answer to play.

Say Merry Christmas in more languages

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Questions parents ask

How do you say Merry Christmas in Indonesian?

Say 'Selamat Natal'. It is the everyday Christmas greeting in Indonesia, and 'Selamat Hari Natal' is a slightly fuller form. Both are polite and warm. Indonesia is home to millions of Christians, and many neighbors of other faiths also use the greeting to be kind to Christian friends.^[1][2]

How do you pronounce Selamat Natal?

Say 'seh-LAH-maht NAH-tahl'. Indonesian vowels are pure and steady: a as in father, e as a soft 'uh' or 'eh', and the final 't' is light. Stress is gentle and falls on the second-to-last syllable of each word, so 'LAH' in selamat and 'NAH' in Natal. Say it evenly and clearly.^[1]

What does Selamat Natal mean?

'Selamat' is a flexible word of good wishes that also appears in 'Selamat pagi' (good morning) and 'Selamat ulang tahun' (happy birthday). 'Natal' is Christmas, from the same Latin root as the word 'natal' in English. Together they mean 'Merry Christmas'.^[1]

How do you write and spell it?

Indonesian uses the Latin alphabet and is spelled as it sounds: Selamat Natal. Capitalize both words in a greeting. There are no accent marks. The longer card line is 'Selamat Natal dan Tahun Baru', where 'dan' means 'and'.^[1]

How do you say Happy New Year in Indonesian?

Say 'Selamat Tahun Baru', pronounced 'seh-LAH-maht TAH-hoon BAH-roo'. 'Tahun Baru' means new year. Many people say it together with the Christmas wish on cards: 'Selamat Natal dan Tahun Baru'. Indonesians celebrate New Year's Eve on December 31 with fireworks, street parties and trumpets, and January 1 is a public holiday.^[1]

Is there a formal and a casual way to say it?

'Selamat Natal' works in every situation, from a text to a friend to a message to a teacher. 'Selamat Hari Natal' sounds a little more formal. In speeches, schools and workplaces, people often use the full 'Selamat Natal dan Tahun Baru'.^[1]

When do people say Selamat Natal?

People say it in the days before and on December 25. Because about 87 percent of Indonesians are Muslim and about 10 percent are Christian, the greeting is mainly for Christian friends, neighbors and colleagues, and it is a sign of friendship and respect when others share it. Christmas Day is a national holiday.^[2]

Is the main celebration Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

Both matter. Christians usually attend church on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Candlelight services with choir carols are held on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, families visit, share a meal, and often exchange gifts, which Indonesian children enjoy a great deal.^[2]

What is a Christmas tradition in Indonesia?

Churches stage nativity scenes and plays, and families enjoy special cookies such as nastar, kastengel and putri salju. In Bali, some people make hand-made Christmas trees from chicken feathers, and in Yogyakarta shadow puppet shows called wayang kulit retell the Christmas story, which blends local art with the holiday.^[2][3]

How can I teach Selamat Natal to kids?

Teach it in short pieces: se-LA-mat NA-tal. Compare it with 'Selamat pagi' so children see that 'selamat' is a wishing word. Then bake or draw nastar cookies and let them say the greeting as they share them with friends.^[1][3]

Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

A bedtime story after seeing SantaRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi’s first train ride, hand-painted in real watercolor by Leslie Dunn. $16.99 on Amazon, ages 0 to 8.

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