How Did Draco Malfoy Get Mixed Up With Lunar New Year?

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by Rebecca L. Davis

February 20, 2026

AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary

Draco Malfoy, the antagonist from the *Harry Potter* series, has become an unlikely cultural icon in China during the Lunar New Year celebrations. His rise to fame stems from a clever linguistic twist: his name, "Malfoy," was transliterated as "ma er fu" in Chinese, which phonetically incorporates the characters for "horse" (*ma*) and "fortune" (*fu*). This connection makes him an auspicious figure during the Year of the Horse, symbolizing prosperity and good luck. Memes, billboards, and festive home décor featuring Malfoy have flooded social media and public spaces, sparking a wave of playful nostalgia among Chinese fans of the *Harry Potter* films. The phenomenon gained momentum as online vendors sold affordable holiday merchandise emblazoned with images of Tom Felton, who portrays Malfoy in the movies. Even state-run channels like CCTV-6 joined in by broadcasting *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone* on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Felton himself contributed to the fun by posting a video on his social media showing him hanging a traditional upside-down "fortune" poster with his own face, further fueling the wordplay-driven trend. This unexpected cultural crossover highlights how global pop culture can resonate deeply in local contexts through creative adaptation and linguistic cleverness. The fusion of *Harry Potter* nostalgia and Lunar New Year traditions has not only delighted fans but also sparked broader conversations about cultural exchange and the power of wordplay to bridge worlds. For readers interested in news, this story underscores how seemingly unrelated elements—like a fictional character’s name and a centuries-old holiday—can collide to create something uniquely modern and meaningful.

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Originally published on NYT Homepage on 2/20/2026