How On Earth Did Draco Malfoy Become A Chinese New Year Icon?
Here’s why you’ve been seeing a young Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy appearing on festive decorations and lucky “fu” signs this Chinese New Year 2026.
Chinese New Year is approaching and amidst all the horse-themed fashion items, you’ve probably seen a couple of meme-worthy posts featuring photos of British actor Tom Felton amidst striking red CNY decor. Specifically, a young Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy in the iconic Harry Potter film series. It’s almost ironic, given that Draco is a villain while Chinese New Year is a season for welcoming luck. Plus, we’re supposed to be exiting the Year of the Snake – while Draco is in Hogwarts’ Slytherin house, represented by a serpent mascot.
P.S.: If you still haven’t gotten your Chinese New Year outfit settled, make a last-minute run for our picks of stylish modern cheongsams by local fashion brands, and top it off with a dash of colour with the best new red lipsticks in Singapore.
But how exactly did the smug antagonist end up being part of “fu” signages and shopping mall billboards in China? It’s all a matter of phonetics and cheeky humour. Turns out, “Malfoy” transliterated to Chinese is “马尔福” (Ma Er Fu). “马” means “horse”, and “福” means “luck”. With 2026 being the Year of the Horse, this reference is especially fitting for the occasion. So there you have it – Draco Malfoy is apparently a symbol of fortune, at least for this year’s Chinese New Year season.
If you’re wondering what Tom Felton thinks of all of this – the actor himself was seen resharing posts featuring the Chinese New Year decor on his Instagram page (@t22felton), so he’s probably getting a good laugh out of everything. One could say that he’s in a very Chinese time of his life, and fully embracing it.
While Malfoy CNY decor hasn’t been publicly spotted in Singapore yet, plenty of us have been laughing at the memes. And if you happen to want to add a hint of the Potterverse to your own home this Chinese New Year, lucky “fu” stickers and wall decals bearing the likeness of Draco and friends (yes, Harry and Snape too) can easily be found on Taobao.
Just make sure you hop onto the trend now, else you’ll have to wait another 12 years for the zodiac to make a full circle.