The story
Macetas Festival in Cali
Tied to the Day of the Godchild around 29 June, Cali's Festival de Macetas centres on macetas - sugar-paste alfeñique figures mounted on maguey sticks and decorated with paper flags and Cali symbols - given by godparents to godchildren. Rooted in the San Antonio neighbourhood and declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Nation in 2013, the century-old tradition's exact origin remains genuinely disputed between local legend and hacienda-era history.
Cali's Festival de Macetas centres on a sweet, century-old tradition tied to the Day of the Godchild, celebrated around 29 June on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, when godparents across the city present their godchildren with macetas - artisanal figures made from alfeñique, a worked mixture of sugar and water, mounted on a maguey stick and decorated with coloured paper, small flags and spinning paper pinwheels.