New Year's traditions around the world.
And a radish carving celebration in Oaxaca.
“The Intersection” is your Monday, Wednesday, and Friday briefing on global affairs, business, culture, and design—offering fresh insights through the lenses of sustainable development, women-centered perspectives, and emerging global trends. The aim? To keep you informed, curious, and always ready with a compelling conversation starter at the dinner table.
Happy New Year!
Around the world, New Year’s celebrations are steeped in rituals and traditions that promise luck, prosperity, and fresh beginnings. In Spain, Portugal, and much of Latin America, it’s customary to eat 12 grapes—one for each chime at midnight—while Italians opt for lentils and, for extra fortune, red undergarments. Across the American South, collard greens and black-eyed peas symbolize wealth and prosperity, while the Filipinos don polka dots to usher in good fortune.
In Brazil, wearing white is central to the Festa de Lemanjá, a celebration honoring the Afro-Brazilian goddess of the sea. At midnight, revelers dressed in white jump over seven waves, each leap a wish to a different orixá—a blend of resolutions and hopes for the year ahead.
Other customs are delightfully unique. Mexicans walk with empty suitcases to manifest travel-filled years, while the Danes smash plates on doors and leap off chairs for good luck. Greeks embrace "Podariko" by smashing pomegranates for prosperity, while Japan's Shōgatsu centers on temple visits and symbolic foods like prawns for longevity. The Irish clear away bad energy with spotless homes, bread-banging rituals, and an extra plate set for loved ones lost.
Traditions may vary, but the shared spirit of renewal and hope is universal.
Former US President and Nobel laureate Jimmy Carter has died at 100. A pioneer in energy policy, Carter established the Department of Energy and made headlines by installing solar panels on the White House—later removed by Ronald Reagan. Decades later, in 2017, Carter installed nearly 4,000 solar panels on his family farm in Plains, Georgia, generating enough power for more than half the town.
Northern Gaza’s last operational major health facility is being destroyed by Israeli forces.
The Taliban have banned windows in residential buildings to stop women from being seen while they are at home in Afghanistan. They have also banned Afghan women from working at NGOs.
Puerto Rico was plunged into darkness early Tuesday as a sweeping blackout left nearly the entire U.S. territory without power just hours before New Year’s celebrations. The outage underscored ongoing challenges in the island’s energy infrastructure.
Transgender trailblazer Sarah McBride heads to her debut in Congress.
And, for a reminder of the biggest stories of the year… and the Palestinian journalists killed by Israel in Gaza.
Oaxaca’s Noche de Rábanos (Night of the Radishes), celebrated every 23 December, transforms humble radishes into an artful holiday spectacle. With roots in colonial-era markets where farmers carved radishes to attract buyers, the event became a formal competition in 1897. Today, city-backed cultivation of oversized radishes ensures its vibrant continuity, drawing over 100 contestants and thousands of visitors. This year’s creations ranged from Nativity scenes to Día de los Muertos displays and Indigenous mythology. For many Oaxacan families, the tradition runs deep, with carving techniques passed down through generations. Oaxaca has long been at the top of my travel wishlist, and this whimsical celebration only strengthens its allure.
More than 160 major anti-government protests erupted worldwide this year, fueled by frustrations over contested election outcomes, systemic corruption, and political repression. In Georgia, postelection demonstrations have drawn massive crowds and show no signs of abating. Elsewhere, economic grievances—rising costs of living and poor working conditions—sparked discontent, while social issues, including gender inequality and LGBTQ rights, also galvanized citizens to take to the streets.
Latin America has a stark “food paradox.” The region has cemented its place as a global agricultural powerhouse, with food exports surging by 500% over the past two decades to reach $316 billion in 2022. The region supplies over 60% of the world’s soybeans, nearly half of its corn, and more than a quarter of its beef. It’s also the source of three-quarters of the world’s avocados and much of its coffee, generating a farming surplus unmatched anywhere else. Yet, nearly 28% of people in Latin America and the Caribbean face moderate or severe food insecurity. Despite improvements since the pandemic peak, the figure is six percentage points higher than in 2014, adding 48 million more people to the ranks of those struggling to access enough safe and nutritious food.
The Fashion Workers Act, which aims to rein in predatory practices in the modeling and creative industries, has officially been signed into law in New York. Effective June 2025, it introduces basic labour protections, including transparent contracts, harassment safeguards, and formal reporting channels. For the first time, model agencies must register with the state and act in their clients’ best interests, with additional measures addressing the misuse of AI. It is mindboggling that this bill had SO much backlash from those it would essentially regulate. You can read the open letter from Sara Ziff, founder of Model Alliance, here.
I recently watched a thought-provoking video exploring whether Iceland is the best place in the world to be a woman. One standout revelation was the Hjalli Model, an educational approach designed to foster equality and democracy from a young age. This gender-neutral curriculum trains all children—regardless of gender—in essential human qualities. Girls, for instance, practice physical tasks like throwing heavy objects and shouting affirmations of strength, while boys engage in emotional exercises, such as caring for peers. It’s a fascinating model, and by all accounts, it’s proving highly effective.
Eileen Fisher has turned 40, and the brand is ready to return to its roots. Over the past year, sustainable fashion has faced turbulence, with many brands faltering under the weight of rising costs and competition. Yet, as others struggle, Eileen Fisher celebrates its 40th anniversary, a testament to resilience and reinvention. Following a pandemic-induced contraction and restructuring, the brand has emerged with solid foundations intact, achieving $270 million in sales last year and maintaining profitability for nearly all its four decades. Eschewing IPOs or private equity, she sold a significant stake to an employee stock plan in 2006, furthering her commitment to shared ownership and responsibility. Now, with former Patagonia chief product officer Lisa Williams as CEO, Fisher, 74, has shifted her focus back to creative pursuits, allowing the brand to pursue mindful growth while staying true to its ethos. Recent efforts have pared back collections to their essence, reimagining early designs with updated fits and materials like regenerative wool, underscoring Fisher’s commitment to timeless, sustainable fashion.
The brand also leads in advocating for systemic change. It supports initiatives like the New York Fashion Act, which seeks to hold brands accountable for their environmental impact and has been experimenting with resale since 2009 to extend the lifecycle of its garments while producing less. Despite these strides, Eileen Fisher recognizes the tension between growth and sustainability. As Williams candidly notes, “We haven’t cracked the code and decoupled.” Even so, Fisher and Williams remain steadfast in their mission to redefine responsible growth and push the fashion industry toward a more thoughtful future.
Eileen Fisher has long been a sustainable fashion pioneer and is an inspirational role model for other slow fashion businesses. The balance between growth and sustainability remains a central challenge for the industry, so it will be fascinating to see how Eileen Fisher navigates this tension in the year ahead. What do you think is the most effective way for brands like Eileen Fisher to reconcile growth with sustainability?
One of the most thought-provoking long reads I’ve come across recently is this NYTimes deep dive into New York City’s response to the influx of migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border. Over the past two years, the city has spent more than $6 billion to house over 225,000 migrants from 150 countries, speaking 110 languages. Hotels and vacant office buildings, once empty due to the pandemic, have been repurposed as shelters, while ball fields and warehouses have been transformed into barrack-style dormitories for arrivals from Venezuela, Peru, Morocco, Sudan, and beyond. Despite street protests marking the opening of new shelters, many migrants express gratitude for the city's efforts, cherishing even modest accommodations—a bare cot, a bedside table—and are eager to rebuild their lives. Their determination to achieve self-sufficiency and contribute to their new country stands in contrast to the challenges of navigating an overburdened shelter system in a city striving to balance compassion, logistical complexity, and a changing political climate.
Sudan's mutual aid groups are stepping in where foreign aid has faltered. Amid a devastating conflict that has displaced 11.5 million people and left governance and infrastructure in tatters, community kitchens have played a vital role in staving off famine. These grassroots initiatives, alongside Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs), have emerged as critical lifelines. ERRs provide food, medicine, water, and shelter, while also documenting violence and seeking international support. As the war continues, these local efforts are proving essential in filling the gaps left by the breakdown of traditional aid systems. Sudan's crisis remains one we must all watch closely, and I will continue covering it in this newsletter.
Big fan of these sustainable homewares. But I am jumping onto the trend and doing a no-buy January!
The NYTimes has unveiled a compelling set of 2025 cultural predictions. Among them: a renewed fascination with the Middle Ages, the rise of punk-inspired protests, a growing culinary spotlight on pandan, and a refreshing embrace of wrinkles. I’m here for all of them.
Cordula "Lina" Poletti (1885–1971) was an Italian writer, poet, and feminist, known for her beauty, rebellious nature, and pioneering openness about her lesbianism. In 1908, she attended the First National Congress of Women in Rome, marking a shift in Italy's women's movement toward suffrage and legal rights. There, she met writer Sibilla Aleramo, with whom she formed a passionate relationship. Together, they worked on education projects for rural communities and provided relief after the 1908 Calabria-Sicily earthquake. From 1918 to 1958, Poletti was in a relationship with Countess Eugenia Rasponi, a fellow feminist. During Italy's fascist regime, Poletti’s writing was stifled, as she and Rasponi were under constant government scrutiny. Poletti’s relationship with Aleramo, revealed in Aleramo's letters, remains a significant part of Italy's feminist and LGBTQ history.
Thank you for reading! I’m looking forward to a learning-filled 2025 with you all.
Jennifer
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