Hey folks!

As you already know, we’re on a break this week. And as the year ends, we want to take your opinion on how we can make Finshots even better in 2026. Which is why we’ve put together a short Finshots Readers’ Survey to understand what you enjoy about our stories and where you think we can improve. So before you dive into today’s story, please take a moment to fill it out.

But as promised, here’s a recap of some of the best policy stories we wrote this year, along with a Holiday Special featuring a New Year tradition from the Philippines.

Also, since tomorrow marks the first day of the New Year, we won’t be publishing and will be back on 2nd January with our very first story of 2026.

Until then… take a moment to thank 2025, party hard as you step into 2026, and stay tuned. We’ll see you the day after tomorrow.

Let’s kick start today’s edition by revisiting five of our most interesting policy stories from the year…

Are H-1B Visa holders snatching American jobs?: An explainer on the H-1B visa debate and how it affects the US and Indian economies.

Why doesn’t India have its own Big 4?: An explainer on why India is thinking of building its own Big 4 equivalent of advisory firms and why it hasn’t had one until now.

Your makeup isn't safe. Can the government make it safer?: An explainer on why the CDSCO wants to ban the manufacture and sale of cosmetics containing mercury.

When ORS didn’t mean ORS: An explainer on how sugary drinks are finally banned from calling themselves ORS.

The Insurance Bill 2025 Explained: A story that dives into why India is rewriting its insurance rulebook.

And because five felt too tough to narrow down, here’s a bonus list:

What raising the retirement age means for the economy: An explainer on whether raising the retirement age might benefit or drain the economy.

Should India rethink MRP?: An explainer on why the Indian government wants to revamp the MRP (Maximum Retail Price) system.

Today’s Finshots Holiday Special: Why Filipinos celebrate New Year with round fruits

Today is New Year’s Eve. And chances are, you’ll be doing the usual — partying with your favourite people, saying a quiet thank you at a place of worship if you’re religious, and waiting for the countdown so you can cheer as the clock strikes 12 and fireworks light up the sky.

But in the Philippines, the New Year begins a little differently.

Instead of just popping champagne, many families gather around a table laid out with fruits, served as part of the midnight New Year’s dinner. The tradition is called Media Noche, which is Spanish for “midnight” (a leftover from over 300 years of Spanish rule). In Tagalog, it’s also known as Bisperas ng Bagong Taon, which literally means New Year’s Eve.

At first glance, this doesn’t sound all that strange. Everyone eats fruit, right?

But here’s the catch. It has to be exactly 12, and they have to be round.

So what’s going on here?

To understand that, you need to rewind a bit. Long before the Spanish arrived, Chinese traders were already active in the Philippines. They settled, built communities, married locals, and over time created a large Chinese Filipino population. With them came cultural ideas, including principles from Chinese Feng Shui.

In Feng Shui, round objects symbolise harmony, completeness, and wealth. The logic is simple. A circle has no beginning and no end. And in Chinese culture, fruits like oranges and tangerines are closely linked to prosperity and financial luck. That belief slowly seeped into Filipino households, turning round fruits into symbols of abundance.

Then came the Spanish influence, which added another layer. Spanish colonisation introduced Catholic traditions like Noche Buena, the Christmas Eve feast, along with European folk customs that used symbolic foods to invite blessings. One such idea was using 12 items to represent the 12 months of the year, a way of wishing for good fortune in every month ahead. Filipinos adapted this idea using what they had locally — round, colourful fruits.

Over time, these influences blended together into what we now know as Media Noche, the midnight feast that marks the shift from the old year to the new.

And it’s not just about placing any fruit on the table. Families often pick brightly coloured, flawless fruits, because vibrant colours are believed to attract positive energy, while blemishes or other imperfections are thought to invite bad luck. Each fruit carries its own meaning. Oranges stand for wealth. Apples symbolise peace and harmony. Grapes represent abundance. Watermelons are linked to joy, fertility, and good fortune. Mangoes stand for sweetness in life, while pineapples, with their spikes, are believed to ward off evil, even as their sweetness signals prosperity.

These fruits stay proudly displayed on the dining table as family and friends sit together, welcoming the New Year.

So yeah, in the Philippines, New Year’s Eve isn’t just about loud parties or fireworks. It’s also about symbolism, shared beliefs, and starting the year with unity, hope, and a table full of meaning.

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