Ziua Dorului, celebrated annually on 13 May and initiated by Cornel Ilie (Vunk), reaches its 12th edition in 2026 and takes a decisive step: transformation into an official national holiday. The endeavour, begun as a personal initiative, has grown steadily and positions itself today as a project with cultural and social significance at a national level.

Cornel Ilie (Vunk) brings to the fore one of the most powerful and authentic collective emotions of Romanians dorul and advocates, through a well-argued approach, for its official recognition.

The initiative is supported by a national study conducted together with iSense Solutions, which confirms the profound relevance of dorul in the lives of Romanians and its role as a shared experience, beyond the differences between people.

“Eleven years have passed since I created Ziua Dorului and throughout all these years I have encouraged people to express their dor, this feeling that we experience day by day, multiple times a day.

I know it is not easy to express your feelings and to open up in front of other people, but that is what this celebration does — it gives you the courage to say what is on your heart and to do so with joy and the confidence that your emotion will inspire others to do the same.

This year we take this idea even further and offer people a phone line where they can leave their messages of dor, encouraged also by the survey we conducted among hundreds of Romanians about their longings, in the hope that next year this day will become a national holiday.

A celebration lasts a day, but its emotion can last a lifetime.”, Cornel Ilie tells us.

The research highlights the fact that dorul appears spontaneously, being triggered by memories, images or seemingly ordinary moments an authentic reaction, difficult to control, but easy for each of us to recognise. The study also confirms that dorul is a profoundly shared emotion, felt similarly across generations and social categories, which reinforces its collective dimension. In difficult or stressful periods, dorul intensifies and functions as an emotional refuge, and for many Romanians it is linked not only to people or places, but also to states such as tranquillity, safety or the absence of worries.

“Our study shows that dorul is not merely an individual emotion, but a profoundly collective experience that unites Romanians across generations and social contexts. We found that it appears spontaneously, from the simplest memories or moments, and becomes all the more powerful in difficult times, when it functions as a natural mechanism of emotional balance. These results support the relevance of Ziua Dorului and the importance of its recognition at a national level”, declared Alina Zelezneac, Chief Research and Operations.

Linia Dorului a collective initiative for Ziua Dorului: After the audio message, leave your thought of dor

For Ziua Dorului to be able to become a national holiday, the endeavour requires genuine collective involvement — a shared voice of those who recognise this emotion as part of their identity.

In this context, “Linia Dorului” is launched a special number, 0215 700 100 to which people are invited to call and say who or what they long for. Each call becomes a personal testimony, part of a collective expression of dorul.

From personal initiative to national movement

Launched by Cornel Ilie, Ziua Dorului has evolved over 11 years from a symbolic gesture into an annual landmark that mobilises people from across the country. Today, the initiative takes on a new dimension: that of being officially recognised.

In essence, the endeavour conveys a simple and direct message: Romania needs a day dedicated to real emotions, lived authentically and shared without reservation. Such an official recognition of dorul would mean its integration into the national cultural and emotional heritage, offering people a legitimate framework for reflection, reconnection and emotional sincerity.

This need becomes all the more relevant in a social context marked by distancing, pressure and an accelerated pace, in which the expression of emotions takes on ever greater importance. Saying “mi-e dor” is no longer merely a personal confession, but a real form of human connection.

In this sense, “dorul” remains a defining concept for Romanian culture difficult to translate, but easy to recognise and feel. It is an emotion that transcends language and reflects a profoundly human, shared dimension, beyond differences.