Union Budget 2026: What Is 'Halwa Ceremony'? Significance & Importance Explained

Last Updated:January 29, 2026, 17:37 IST

The 'Halwa ceremony' precedes the 'lock-in' of the officials involved in the preparation of the Union Budget.

The final stage of the preparation process of Union Budget 2026-27 commenced on Tuesday with the customary Halwa Ceremony in the presence of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday participated in a traditional ‘halwa’ ceremony, marking the final stage for the preparation of the Union Budget 2026-27. The Budget is set to be unveiled on February 1 in the Lok Sabha.

The ceremony is a customary ritual in which ‘halwa’ is prepared and served to officials and staff members of the finance ministry, who are involved in the preparation of the budget.

The ceremony took place at the North Block on Raisina Hill, the old address of the Finance Ministry, as the new premises at the Kartyava Bhawan-I do not have a printing press.

At the Halwa Ceremony, the Finance Minister was accompanied by Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary and the Secretaries of all the Departments under the Ministry of Finance and other senior officers involved in the Budget preparation.

What Is Halwa Ceremony?

The ‘Halwa ceremony’ precedes the ‘lock-in’ of the officials involved in the preparation of the Union Budget. Maintaining the tradition, it was organised in the basement of North Block, which was attended by the finance minister and other high-ranking officials.

The ceremony is a kind of ‘send-off’ for Finance Ministry officials and staff involved in the preparation of the Union government’s annual financial statement. They enter what is called a ‘lock-in’ period, during which they stay in the basement of North Block, cut off from the world outside, with a view to maintaining the secrecy around the final budget document.

The officials come out of the North Block only after the Finance Minister completes Budget speech in the Lok Sabha.

What Is The Tradition Followed During Halwa Ceremony?

As per tradition followed through the last 40 years, the Finance Ministerstirs the kadhai first, after which Halwa is served to all officials and staff who were part of the budget preparation.

The basement of North Block houses a printing press that was traditionally used to print budget documents for 40 years, from 1980 to 2020. The budget then went digital.

Why Was The Halwa Ceremony Not Held In 2022?

In 2022, the traditional Halwa Ceremony was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why Was The Halwa Ceremony Held Twice In 2024?

In 2024, the Halwa Ceremony was held twice in view of the Lok Sabha elections, requiring two separate budgets to be prepared and presented.

One was held ahead of the Interim Budget. Other was held after elections and before the presentation of the Budget.

Sitharaman To Present 9th Budget In A Row

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is going to present Budget 2026-27, the ninth straight budget in a row. The Budget will be presented in the backdrop of GDP growth expected to be at 7.6 per cent this financial year amid global geopolitical headwinds.

Like the previous five full Union Budgets and one interim, the full Union Budget 2026-27 will also be delivered in a paperless form.

All Union Budget documents will also be available on the ‘Union Budget Mobile App’ for hassle-free access to Budget documents by Members of Parliament (MPs) and the general public in a digitally accessible mode. The app is bilingual (English and Hindi) and will be available on both Android and iOS platforms.

(With agency inputs)

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