Cop pulls over speeding car on 'Eid al-Adha' — then hands them a gift instead of a ticket

The past week noticed the holy celebrations of Eid al-Adha, commonly known as Bakrid in many regions. News websites came up with a whopping 500-plus wishes, images, and WhatsApp messages to be shared with family members and social communities. Among the flood of videos on social media, there is this one in particular that captured everyone's attention. A viral Reddit post detailed how a traffic policeman stopped a car for speeding, but ended up paying Eidi to the children sitting inside instead.

In the middle of the day, a local traffic police officer was on duty, cautioning speeding vehicles on the Punjab motorway in Pakistan, when he halted a rushing Maruti 800. They were driving on the highway at high speed, and needed to pay a fine for this traffic violation. As they rolled down their windows, the children sitting in the car asked the policeman for Eidi, which is a traditional gesture carried out by community elders where they present gifts or money to children. Taken aback, the officer reached his pockets, took out a few 10-rupee notes, and handed them to the kids. The car's driver shot this interaction, putting an extremely rare moment on film.

Festivals are known to bring people together, as seen in the video, an officer, instead of issuing a speeding ticket, gave away money to the strangers in the name of Eidi. Studies show that religion plays a key role in social cohesion. It promotes shared values, community building, rituals, moral guidance, social support networks, conflict resolution, and identity. A study on the "Science of Generosity" said that people are more generous towards strangers than themselves. People like that generally have an increased level of empathy. According to Prio, many Muslims use Eid as an occasion to help those who are less fortunate, distributing festival food, clothes, and donations in the spirit of celebration.

After the adorable encounter, the policeman shook hands with the little ones and left. This viral video saw a range of comments hailing the kind act of the policeman, with people inquiring more about the festival. "Can someone maybe give some context here for people who never heard about 'Eidi (Eid gift)' before?," asked @u/Mormegil81. "Eid (pronounced “eed”) is one of the two major Islamic holidays. The word 'Eidi' refers to the gift (usually money, sweets, or toys) that adults give to kids, kind of like getting a little cash from grandparents on Christmas or Lunar New Year. There are two Eids: 1. Eid al-Fitr – 'Festival of Breaking the Fast,' which is celebrated right after Ramadan (a month of fasting). 2. Eid al-Adha – 'Festival of Sacrifice' which happens about two months later, during the Hajj pilgrimage season," explained @u/LanceFree.

Some compared it to Halloween. "It's like Christians give away sweets on Halloween ( trick or treat)," said u/Unable-Assignment554. Another user, @u/Mercy--Main, clarified, "Not Christians, Americans. We don't do that in the rest of the world, and I'm sure people of other/no religion also give out candy in the US." Comparisons with Americal Police also followed the conversation as @u/theheliumkid,  commented, "Had to check the shoulder badges — didn't seem like American police behaviour, confirmed!" "What about this video would make you think for a second it was in America," jested @u/Pab_Scrabs.

You can catch more such wholesome content at @r/wholesome.