Wesley Clarke, archaeologist at The Castle, talks to the residents who attended the Winter Solstice Sunset Watch at Sacra Via Park in Marietta on Wednesday evening. (Photo by Peyton Neely)

MARIETTA — Dec. 21 is the shortest day of 2016 and bringing in the longest night of the year was a crowd of residents at Sacra Via Park in Marietta on Wednesday evening.

They gathered to celebrate a ritual that is said to have begun with the Hopewell mound builders nearly 1,600 years ago.

“We are very fortunate to have all this beautiful history in Marietta,” said Marietta resident Jayne Stehle, 70. “I’ve lived here all my life and actually did an individual study myself in college on the mounds.”

The Quadranou Mound at Sacra Via was built with ramps on each side, facing north, south, east and west. The ramp facing west aligns perfectly with the setting of the sun late during the Winter Solstice.

“As you can see there is a lot of interest among the public,” said Castle archaeologist Wesley Clarke. “People enjoy the connection we have with the people who were doing the same exact thing over 1,600 years ago here.”

About 50 people attended the solstice watch, with the skies clearing just in time for sunset and the crowd applauding as the sun sank behind Harmar Hill.

Clarke mentioned that the Hopewell mound builders didn’t have the resources available now to determine the time of the year.

“This is how they determined the season change,” he said. “The way this is built is clearly intentional.”

The theory is that these ceremonial earthworks were basically vacant for most of the year, but every December the Hopewell would hold a ritual gathering to mark the Winter Solstice.

The gathering at the Sacra Via Park has been going on since 2012. Clarke plans to continue it.

“Something that began with half a dozen people has clearly expanded,” he said.

The sun set officially at 5:06 p.m. but watchers lingered around to watch until the end.

“This sort of thing is so fascinating to me and I’m glad there is such a huge turnout,” said Marietta resident Shirley Harmon, 83.