Honoka‘a Hongwanji Buddhist Temple on Saturday will host its 123rd annual Community Memorial Service and Bon Dance on its grounds at 45-516 Lehua St.

The memorial service begins in the Social Hall at 5:30 p.m. with the Bon Dance to immediately follow in the parking lot at 7 p.m.

The temple taiko class will perform at the memorial service, while Taishoji Taiko Group of Hilo will accompany the music of the Bon Dance.

There will be food and beverages available and entertainment for kids.

The public is invited to join both the service and the dance, and there is no cost for admission.

During the memorial service, names of loved ones lost in the last year are read aloud, and family and friends are invited to step forward and symbolically offer incense in their memory.

The centuries-old custom came to Hawaii from Japan along with sugarcane plantation workers in the 19th century.

Friends and relatives of the recently deceased return to their hometown in the summer, and the Obon Festival has become a combination of ancient traditions celebrating a release from sufferings, combined with the joy of a summer reunion for families, friends and the broader community.

Strings of lighted paper lanterns will decorate the parking lot, and the space will fill with people in their colorful happi coats, dancing in a large circle around the central Yagura tower.

Anyone — regardless of faith — is encouraged to attend and participate. Those who would like to honor a loved one lost during the past 12 months can submit names at the Community Memorial Service. Attendees are welcomed to honor a loved one anonymously, if preferred.

Honoka‘a Hongwanji Buddhist Temple has been a community hub for religious and social activities since the first services and Bon Dance were conducted in 1904.