Are we moving away from Easter traditions and games like marbles and jacks? Some people seem to think so with the number of plastic kites being flown instead of the tradition colourful handmade ones.

And little boys and little girls don't appear to dress up in their Easter Sunday bests like they used to.

But despite any changes in Easter customs we still, as our grandparents did, devour the foods of the Good Friday holiday -- hot cross buns and fish cakes.

Although, unlike the olden days, people are purchasing them from bakeries instead of spending time in the kitchen.

Cultural Affairs officer Ruth Thomas said what distresses her the most is the use of plastic kites.

"We are losing the traditions of making our own Bermuda kites. When I was a child every little boy used to learn how to make a kite using newspaper, and brown paper bags with fennel sticks, and we would fly those while we saved our real kites for Good Friday. You see very few of those in the sky anymore,'' Miss Thomas said.

She added: "Also on Good Friday we were not allowed to fly our kites until the afternoon because there were church services and old timers always said we had to wait until after the time of the crucifixion, after church services were out.

"What has also been lost is the lack of respect for people's property. When a kite breaks away from a child some children will now knock down a fence to get to it. There is no more knocking on the door to ask for help or apologise.'' Miss Thomas also said that on Easter Sunday "we have lost how children used to be dressed. In my youth little girls had the special dotted Swiss dress or the organdy and these were always in white or pastel shades with matching socks and if it was cool you had an Angora sweater. You also wore an Easter bonnet and a Tipperary would be hanging down your back. The boys would wear their smart summer suits for the first time.

Principal Dale Butler said kids still make kites. "I don't know if they still use fennel and paper but we are having a kite workshop with parents and members of the public. Some kids come from single parent homes and they are not able to make kites.'' He added: "Kids don't fly kites like they used to because yards have disappeared. They are taken up by apartments now and people are building bigger houses and since there is no yard space they don't gravitate to the outside like we used to.

"Easter traditions are being passed on to kids but not with the enthusiasm as they used to be. Making kites used to be a big family thing, families would sit around and make them. People just buy kites now because they just don't have the time.'' Mr. Butler said kids still play Easter games like marbles but not as frequently as they used to. "Again there are no sandy yards with declining land space we just have tarmacs or grass surfaces. Kids are mainly playing marbles and jacks in school instead of at home.'' Minister of Youth, Sports and Recreation David Dyer said there are kids who are still very much into marbles, kites and tops.

"Kids still make traditional Bermuda kites and have great fun with them. I have never bought one of those plastic kites and have no intention of doing so,'' Dr. Dyer said.

He added: "But there are some changes, yes, and it is inevitable that it would happen.''