Why Draco Malfoy Is Trending for Lunar New Year in China (Full Transcript)

A Chinese pun in Malfoy’s name—linking “horse” and “good fortune”—has sparked festive decorations for the Year of the Horse, noticed by Tom Felton.
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[00:00:00] Speaker 1: What does Draco Malfoy have to do with good luck in China? Draco Malfoy. So these decorations have popped up all over Chinese social media ahead of the start of the Lunar New Year. That starts on February 17th, and of course it ushers in the Year of the Horse in the Chinese Zodiac. It even got the attention of Tom Felton, the English actor who played the character in the Harry Potter movie series, sharing this on his Instagram story. All this sudden popularity is thanks to the Chinese translation of Malfoy, which is ma er fu with ma meaning horse and fu meaning good fortune. It's a tradition for people across China to put the character fu on their front doors in hopes of blessings and good fortune in the year ahead. So I wonder why Malfoy wasn't everywhere during the Year of the Snake, since he is a Slytherin. Well, better late than never. Happy New Year.

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Arow Summary
Ahead of Lunar New Year (Feb 17, Year of the Horse), Draco Malfoy-themed decorations are trending on Chinese social media because the Chinese transliteration of “Malfoy” (ma er fu) sounds like “horse” (ma) and “good fortune” (fu), aligning with the tradition of placing the character fu on doors for blessings. Actor Tom Felton noticed and shared the trend, with a humorous aside about why it didn’t happen in the Year of the Snake despite Malfoy being a Slytherin.
Arow Title
Draco Malfoy Becomes a Lunar New Year Good-Luck Pun in China
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Draco Malfoy Remove
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Year of the Horse Remove
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Arow Key Takeaways
  • Malfoy-themed decorations are popular in China due to a name transliteration pun.
  • “Ma” means horse and “fu” means good fortune, fitting the Year of the Horse and New Year traditions.
  • Placing the character fu on doors is a common custom for attracting blessings.
  • Tom Felton amplified the trend by sharing it on Instagram.
  • The piece ends with a playful joke about Slytherin and the Year of the Snake.
Arow Sentiments
Positive: Light, humorous tone celebrating a playful cross-cultural pun and New Year well-wishes, with excitement about the trend and Tom Felton’s reaction.
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