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China has embraced an unexpected new face for Lunar New Year celebrations this year — Draco Malfoy. The Harry Potter character, portrayed by British actor Tom Felton, has emerged as a surprising festive symbol, with his image appearing in household decorations and online marketplaces across the country.
The trend stems from the Chinese transliteration of Malfoy’s name, Ma-er-fu, which contains characters associated with “horse” and “fortune” — both considered highly auspicious as the Year of the Horse approaches. The fortunate linguistic coincidence has helped propel the wizarding character into seasonal stardom.
The Harry Potter franchise has long enjoyed immense popularity in China, with hundreds of millions of books sold nationwide. The franchise’s enduring appeal was evident when the first film was re-released in 2020, earning over 90 million yuan within just three days.
In the lead-up to Lunar New Year, Chinese households traditionally adorn doors with red couplets bearing wishes for health, happiness and prosperity. Many also display fu characters — red square papers symbolising good fortune — often hung upside down to represent luck “arriving,” as the words for “upside down” and “arrival” share the same pronunciation in Chinese.
This year, however, some celebrants have added a magical twist, swapping traditional designs for images of Draco Malfoy’s trademark smirk on couplets and fu decorations. Photos of the playful trend have circulated widely on Chinese social media platforms.
Online retailers, particularly on Taobao, have quickly capitalised on the phenomenon, offering magnets, stickers and festive ornaments featuring the character. Social media users have also joined in, posting images with captions encouraging others to share for good luck.
One Weibo user described the craze as “a Lunar New Year with magical elements,” while another jokingly referenced Felix Felicis, the fictional “liquid luck” potion from the Harry Potter universe.
