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

New York Times - WorldEN 3 min read 100% complete by Rebecca L. DavisFebruary 20, 2026 at 01:27 AM
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medium article 3 min

Draco Malfoy, the Harry Potter character, has become a Lunar New Year icon in China due to wordplay. The transliteration of "Malfoy" into Chinese includes characters for "horse" and "fortune," making him auspicious for the Year of the Horse. The popularity is fueled by nostalgia for the Harry Potter films and the availability of inexpensive merchandise featuring Tom Felton, the actor who played Malfoy. Even the Chinese government participated by broadcasting a Harry Potter film on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Felton has acknowledged the phenomenon by posting Lunar New Year greetings and images of Malfoy-themed decorations, although his use of "Chinese New Year" has drawn some criticism.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context
New York 30% Weibo 30% Shangqiu 40% Hogwarts 40% Taiwan 40% Vietnam 40% CCTV-6 50% Harry Potter ×370% China ×580% Tom Felton ×390% Draco Malfoy ×7100%

Keywords

lunar new year 100% draco malfoy 90% wordplay 80% china 70% harry potter 60% fortune 60% chinese new year 50% tom felton 50% cultural phenomenon 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Positive
Score: 0.40

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New York Times - World
Classification Confidence
90%

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lunar new yeardraco malfoywordplaychinaharry potterfortunechinese new yeartom feltoncultural phenomenon
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