What makes something a pagan custom vs. a neutral one: the test is whether it is meaningfully tied to worship of a false god

A practice is 'pagan' only if it is meaningfully connected to honoring or worshipping a false deity. If pagans did something that is not inherently tied to false-god worship — like singing — it is not a 'pagan thing' simply because pagans did it. Christians sing to God, not to pagan deities. By contrast, child sacrifice is prohibited in Scripture because it was done in honor of false gods. The fact that a pagan also ate dinner doesn't make eating dinner pagan. The test is religious significance, not overlap with pagan behavior.