CNN  —  Is it a bird? Is it a winged goddess? Is it an ode to the history of traditional Dutch ceramics? At Miss Universe 2024, it was all those things — and much more — as the annual pageant kicked off with its flamboyant national costume competition Thursday evening. Tasked with modeling looks that represent their homelands, 126 contestants took the stage at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City ahead of Saturday’s grand finale. And while many looked to folk arts, deities or their nations’ flags for