Festival season starts in Nepal with devotees honoring a living goddess

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Nepal’s monthslong festival season began on Tuesday with tens of thousands of devotees pulling a wooden chariot with a young girl revered as a living goddess.

Families gathered for feasts and lit incense for the dead at shrines. Men and boys in colorful masks and gowns representing Hindu deities danced to traditional music and drums, drawing throngs of spectators to Kathmandu's old streets.

The Indra Jatra festival marks the end of the monsoon and rice farming season and signals the dawn of fall. It's celebrated mostly by the Newar community, the native residents of Kathmandu. It is also known as the festival of deities and demons and especially honors Indra, the Hindu god of rain.

The masked dancers, one of the highlights of the ceremony, can be fearsome, entertaining and awe-inspiring, depending on the performers’ movements.

Kumari, a young girl who is revered by both Hindus and Buddhists in Nepal as a living goddess, left her temple palace and was driven around the center of the capital in a wooden chariot pulled by devotees, who lined up to receive her blessing. Among the spectators were President Ram Chandra Poudel, officials and diplomats.

The weeklong Indra Jatra precedes months of other festivals in the predominantly Hindu nation. They include Dasain, the main festival, and Tihar, or Diwali, the festival of lights, in November.

The Lakhe, a demon adored for divine might, performs during Indra Jatra, a festival that marks the end of the rainy season in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

The Lakhe, a demon adored for divine might, performs during Indra Jatra, a festival that marks the end of the rainy season in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Masked dancers perform during Indra Jatra, a festival that marks the end of the rainy season in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Devotees perform a traditional elephant dance during Indra Jatra, a festival that marks the end of the rainy season in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Devotees pull the chariot during Indra Jatra, a festival that marks the end of the rainy season in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Masked dancers perform during Indra Jatra, a festival that marks the end of the rainy season in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

The Lakhe, a demon adored for divine might, performs during Indra Jatra, a festival that marks the end of the rainy season in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Devotees perform a traditional elephant dance during Indra Jatra, a festival that marks the end of the rainy season in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Living god Ganesh is directed towards a chariot during Indra Jatra, a festival that marks the end of the rainy season in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Devotees play traditional drums during Indra Jatra, a festival that marks the end of the rainy season in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Devotees gather to watch the annual Indra Jatra festival that marks the end of the rainy season in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Living goddess Kumari is directed towards a chariot during Indra Jatra, a festival that marks the end of the rainy season in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Masked dancers perform during Indra Jatra, a festival that marks the end of the rainy season in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Devotees use foam spray as they dance during Indra Jatra, a festival that marks the end of the rainy season in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Living goddess Kumari reacts as she is being carried during Indra Jatra, a festival that marks the end of the rainy season in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A masked dancer performs during Indra Jatra, a festival that marks the end of the rainy season in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

NEW YORK (AP) — Fresh off her Emmys win, Jean Smart is taking her comedy to a new audience — she’ll kick off “Saturday Night Live’s” landmark 50th season.

NBC on Thursday announced the lineup of hosts for the season, which premieres Sept. 28. Joining Smart on the first show will be Jelly Roll as the musical act. He was also at the Emmys, singing during the ceremony's in memoriam segment.

It will be Smart's first time hosting “SNL” and Jelly Roll's first time performing on the show. Smart shared the news on Instagram, writing that hosting was a “bucket list” item for her.

The rest of the hosts and musical guests — save breakout sensation Chappell Roan, who will make her musical guest debut in November — are returning to the series. Comedian Nate Bargatze, who hosted last October to great success, thanks to a sketch where he played George Washington, will host again Oct. 5, with Coldplay as the musical guest. Coldplay has previously performed on the show seven times, and will ring in the eighth right after the band's newest album, “Moon Music,” releases.

Ariana Grande — who stars in the upcoming “Wicked” film adaption — will host for the second time Oct. 12. She has previously been the musical guest twice, but Fleetwood Mac icon Stevie Nicks will perform for Grande's episode. Nicks was a musical guest once prior, in 1983.

“Beetlejuice” star Michael Keaton will host on Oct. 19, the last show before Halloween, in his fourth time on the show, and Billie Eilish will be that night's musical guest, also marking her fourth time on “SNL.”

“SNL” alum John Mulaney will return to the show as host for the sixth time on Nov. 2, with Roan as the music guest. Mulaney, who worked as a writer on the show before making it big as a stand-up comedian, is behind some of “SNL's” most well-known bits, like Bill Hader as Stefon, a “Weekend Update” regular.

The 50th season has been highly anticipated during the show's summer hiatus, with fans calling for Maya Rudolph to reprise her role as Kamala Harris and clamoring for Tim Walz-lookalike Steve Martin to make an appearance as the vice presidential candidate, a role he has since declined.

Chappell Roan accepts the award for best new artist during the MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Jelly Roll arrives at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Jean Smart poses in the press room with the award for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for "Hacks" during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)