Budget 2026: What Is Halwa Ceremony And Why Does It Matter?

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 will present the Union Budget 2026 in the Parliament. With just days to go before the Union Budget, a very small but important ceremony happens behind the closed doors of the Finance Ministry.

What is this ceremony?

The annual Halwa Ceremony, which is far more than a tradition, signals that the Budget has entered into its final stage and most confidential phase of preparation ahead of its presentation.

The ceremony involves preparing the halwa in a large ‘kadhai’ (vessel) and then serving it to the officials involved in the drafting of the budget.

The annual Halwa ceremony is held in the Finance Ministry’s basement at North Block in central Delhi.

What is the meaning of Halwa ceremony?

Once the Halwa ceremony happens, the Budget proposals are largely frozen and no major changes are made to it unless absolutely necessary. Most importantly, it marks the beginning of the strict lock-in period, when confidentiality around the Budget becomes paramount.

The annual ceremony celebrates the efforts of the team required in making the Budget in the span of several months.

What is the Lock-in phase?

After the Halwa ceremony, the official and staff involved in the preparation of Budget enters a strict lock-in inside North Block. During this period, external communication is barred, phone access is restricted and security protocols are tightened.

Once the Budget is presented in the Lok Sabha by the Finance Minister only then the staff are permitted to leave North Block.

The Halwa Ceremony has been part of the Budget process for decades. Earlier, Budget documents were printed at Rashtrapati Bhavan later the printing was shifted to the basement of North Block, where the ceremony continues to be held.

With this Nirmala Sitharaman will become the first finance minister of the country to present the general budget nine consecutive times.