As a Mambo forging the way for priests and priestesses of African-based religions to be recognized as the clergy they are, Gro Mambo has set precedents in her example of offering the services other religions offer to the people without leaning on any other church or faith to supply the needs of the people. Gro Mambo has performed numerous weddings and rites of passage, and below are descriptions of the services she provides.

As you explore the services below, hover over the pictures for more information about the part of the ceremony depicted.

Chrismations / Rites of Passage

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One thing that American society finds lacking, particularly in the African-American community, is the formal rite of passage from childhood to adulthood. Gro Mambo has set a precedent by performing a formal chrismation in the tradition of African spirituality for the first time ever in the United States.

The true beauty of this ceremony is its significance in the life of the child. It symbolizes the formal rite of passage not only from childhood to adulthood for the boy or girl but also from innocence to accountability. It is during this ceremony that the child takes responsibility for his or her actions and for the knowledge of right and wrong. The ceremony empowers the child with the power to make better decisions and prevent wrong choices in life, thereby helping to avoid problems for the child that might otherwise take months or even years to correct.

The child is dressed in full regalia, as seen below, to further symbolize the passage into adulthood. For example, girls are adorned with gown and jewels, veils and lace. The ceremony is truly a blessed one, and one that a child can look back upon for strength, stability, faith, love, direction, peace, wisdom, and most importantly a foundation for adult life.

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Weddings

Proving once again that Priests of African-based religion can perform as clergy without the help of other churches, Gro Mambo has also brought the wedding of African spirituality to America. Without a doubt one of the most beautiful and sacred ceremonies anyone can witness or participate in, the wedding in African spirituality features not only the customary exchange of vows, but also the traditional washing of each spouse's feet by the other to symbolize the traversing the threshold upon a new path together, the ritual tasting of sweet, bitter, and hot herbs to symbolize the various extremes of married life, and the releasing of 21 doves for love, luck, health, and wealth, as well as other parts of the ceremony that make the Voodoo wedding as unique as it is beautiful. Below are pictures of each of these unique parts of the wedding, from the tasting of the herbs, to the washing of the feet, to the releasing of the doves.

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For information on other services offered by Gro Mambo and LePeristyle Haitian Sanctuary, contact us!