Budget 2025: What is the Halwa ceremony? Its significance and other details

The Halwa ceremony, which commemorates the last stage of the Union Budget preparation, will begin on Friday evening, January 24, at the North Block in Delhi.

The ceremony, ahead of the presentation of the Union Budget 2025-26 on February 1, will be led by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman with minister of state Pankaj Chaudhary.

All officials, secretaries and staff involved in the preparation of the budget attend the ceremony as well.

What is Halwa ceremony?

The Halwa ceremony is a convention that marks the end of budget preparation and is performed every year before the “lock-in” period of the budget begins.

As per tradition, an Indian sweet dish is made in a large ‘kadhai’ (vessel) at the North Block and then served to all those involved in the Budget-making process.

It is the role of the finance minister to stir the ‘kadhai’ as part of the ceremony.

What is significance of the ceremony?

The halwa ceremony is an important convention as it signals the start of the “lockdown” process at the finance ministry.

During this period, all officials and staff involved with the Budget are not permitted to leave the ministry premises until the document is presented in Parliament.

The ceremony also marks the start of the printing process, which takes place in the North Block’s basement, since 1980. The tradition also celebrates the team effort required to make the Budget.

The Budget Session of Parliament will begin on January 31 and will end on April 4. President Droupadi Murmu will address the joint sitting of two houses of Parliament on January 31.

Parliament will also have an inter-session break from February 14, and will resume on March 10.