Did you know that many Indonesian parents name their children after moments that coincide with their birth? The habit (unfortunately) was alive during the COVID-19 pandemic, with one couple naming their baby daughter Karantina Covidah Corona at the onset of the pandemic one year ago.
Karantina is the Indonesian word for quarantine, and yesterday, several users on Twitter posted a photo of the baby’s aqiqah announcement, mostly musing the existence of a baby named as such. Aqiqah refers to an Islamic name, date of birth, and gender reveal tradition involving the distribution of meat from a sacrificial animal — usually a goat — to neighbors and the needy.
Though it’s not known where Karantina was born, her photo has gone so viral that even Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo tweeted a quick birthday message for her.
Congrats…
As Karantina was born on March 26, 2020, it means she is almost exactly as old as the pandemic in Indonesia, which officially began on March 2.
Happy birthday Karantina Covidah Corona, it’s been one year since the outbreak of coronavirus [in Indonesia] but it has yet to conclude.
It’s worth noting that many Indonesian parents believe in the idea that a name is a prayer, meaning that the names they give to their children contain their hopes for what their offspring will grow up to be and/or achieve.
In this case, it appears that Karantina’s parents, who have not yet been identified, wanted her to remember that her birth took place during the historic pandemic — or, as some netizens have cynically theorized, they named their daughter that way for viral fame.
Karantina is the latest addition to a growing list of Indonesian babies with unique/unusual names, following Google, Gopay, and Pajero Sport. Babies aside, many adult Indonesians have also gone viral in the past due to their unique names, most notably Kentut (literally meaning “fart”), Tuhan (God) and Andy Go To School.
