Happy rebirthday? Why these Canadians chose a new date to celebrate themselves

feature you ever so wanted to exchange your natal day?

Cathy Braidek did simply that. The Ottawa resident moved her birthday from January to August after years of underwhelming celebrations.

Born just after New Year’s, the timing, she says, meant the occasion was often dampened by diets, limited budgets and general fatigue.

“It really wasn’t ever a celebration,” Braidek told The Current.

Growing up with six siblings in Saskatchewan, money was tight. She says her mother would often tell her that her Christmas gift doubled as her birthday gift.

Ahead of her 40th birthday, Braidek decided to shift the occasion to early August — a change some relatives dismissed as "frivolous and self-serving.”

“I didn't mind what anybody said about that. I just enjoyed it.”

“Suddenly I got a summer birthday, patio birthday. Everyone was up for celebrating," she said. "I often had a long weekend, so it became a great way to celebrate. I did that for 20 years.”

She’s not alone. 

A “rebirthday,” or in some cases, a floating birthday, is a date chosen to replace or supplement someone’s biological birthday, often to mark a significant life event, personal transformation or recovery from a life-altering illness. It’s not a legal change, but a personal one — a shift in when and how someone chooses to celebrate themselves. 

Birthdays have long carried meaning beyond the date of birth itself. Historical records suggest early birthdays were more about transformation, such as coronations in ancient Egypt during which a ruler’s “birth” marked their rise to higher power. 

Today, birthdays function more as social rituals anchored in gathering and celebration.

Brett Pelham, a social psychology professor at Montgomery College in Maryland, says the rebirthday custom may grow as people increasingly take control of how they define themselves. 

“Much of what human beings do in every culture across history is identity exploration and validation,” he said. According to Pelham, who studies birthdays as part of identity and life milestone research, choosing when birthdays are celebrated represents an innate search for meaning.

With busier schedules and more flexibility in how people structure their lives, the idea of choosing when to celebrate becomes more natural, he added. 

For some, a rebirthday is defined by survival. In 2018, Jahnis Gillan was diagnosed with leukemia and told she would need a stem cell transplant to survive. Living in Toronto with no siblings or children, she relied on an anonymous donor match.

“To find somebody that has a ten out of ten match when you don’t have relatives, and [who] is donating, is incredible.”   

She remembers the day of her transfusion vividly. “I was watching that bag of fluid and just knew somewhere this person [had] donated this to save me,” she said. The transplant replaced her blood and immune system, changing her blood type from O-positive to B-positive. 

She now celebrates a rebirthday each August, marking the anniversary of her transplant. It’s a practice shared by many transplant recipients, often with cake, reflection and gratitude. 

Two years later, Gillan connected with her donor, Yvonne Schöne, from Germany. After exchanging letters, the two formed a close bond. For her five-year anniversary, Gillan flew to Germany to meet Schöne. 

“I told her how special this relationship was, and I thanked her for saving my life. It was a really emotional day.”  

Gillan still marks her original birthday in the winter, but says the August date carries a different weight. 

“I believe that my rebirthday is even more special every year,” she said. “The doctors told me I would have passed away within five years. Now I have this life and that’s why the rebirthday is so special each year.” 

Natalie Moores marks the moment she realized she was transgender as her rebirthday.

For many transgender people, a rebirthday might be the start of hormone therapy or another milestone. For Moores, it was a moment of clarity that helped her live more authentically. 

Her journey in April 2021 began with uncertainty, she says, particularly around how her family would respond. But her then-wife met her with support and organized a party complete with a cake in the colours of the trans flag to celebrate her first rebirthday. 

“My first rebirthday was marking the first anniversary of the epiphany of suddenly realizing I was living life as a transgender woman,” said Moores, who lives in Ottawa. “[The celebration] had reaffirmed that I was on the right track for myself.”

“That epiphany wasn’t just a phase.” She describes the date less as a “rebirth” and more as a breakthrough. 

Moores maintains a connection to her original birth date, recognizing its significance for her relatives. 

“I understand that for my parents and family that day carries its own weight for personal reasons,” she said. “So I’ll never abandon the day, but I kind of feel a little bit more aligned with my rebirth right now.”

She mostly devotes her original birthdate to her young son, who was born on the same day and celebrates his seventh birthday this summer. For her own birthday this year, she marked the occasion by attending a dance event in Ottawa.

As retirement approached, Braidek, now in her mid-60s, reconsidered her birthday once more. 

She realized reclaiming her original January birthday would no longer mean balancing the occasion with professional obligations. 

“I can plan to go away in January. And of course, all the nicest holiday destinations are warm.” 

She maintains that a birthday belongs to the individual and it’s empowering to have agency. 

“I would say that if you wanted to change your birthday, you shouldn’t worry about what other people are thinking,” Braidek said. 

“You can’t legally change your birthday, but you can definitely celebrate when you want to celebrate. It’s your day. I think you should embrace it.”

Multimedia Journalist

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