Thanks to a lucky name pun, Draco Malfoy has taken over Chinese New Year celebrations, inspiring fan art, decorations, and viral online jokes.
Harry Potter character Draco Malfoy has claimed an unexpected title this year. He has become a mascot of the Chinese New Year.
The reason is wordplay. His Chinese name is “马尔福” (Ma-er-fu). The character “马” (Ma) means horse. It matches the Year of the Horse. Meanwhile, “福” (Fu) means fortune. It adds a lucky twist.
As a result, the pun has gone viral. Netizens have flooded social media with memes. They have also shared fan art, decorations, and themed merchandise.
Meanwhile, Tom Felton joined the fun. The actor who plays Malfoy reshared an Instagram story by the China Minutes Instagram account hilighting Malfoy’s new status as a “symbol of Chinese New Year in China.”
Soon after, fans reacted with even more enthusiasm. A Chinese social media platform RedNote user reposted Felton’s story. The user wrote, “When netizens play with this, it’s 100% hilarious. When Malfoy himself joins in, it’s 100,000% hilarious.”
Moreover, the trend has fueled shopping fever. A search for “ma er fu” on Douyin (Chinese TikTok) and RedNote brings endless results. For example, sellers offer fridge magnets, phone cases, and small pendants. Most items feature Malfoy’s signature smirk.
Additionally, fans have mixed tradition with pop culture. Some users place Malfoy’s picture on fuzi. These red paper squares usually display the character “福” for good luck. Others hang the images upside down. In Chinese custom, “upside down” sounds like “arrive.” Therefore, the gesture suggests that fortune is arriving.
Offline spaces have joined in as well. A shopping mall in Henan Province has embraced the joke. According to online posts, the mall displayed electronic Spring Festival couplets. A huge image of Malfoy sat at the centre.
Finally, netizens praised the creativity and shared their delight. “I have to say this is really creative,” one Weibo user wrote, “What kind of genius netizen could think of this? Everyone who has read Harry Potter will smile. Countless memories come rushing back.”
Written by Yi Shen.
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