My informant is the daughter of immigrants from Bangladesh.

A common belief in Bangladesh is that if a person is born with a sixth finger, they are considered to be a lucky person. If they are born with six fingers on both hands, then they are extremely lucky and blessed with a good life. My informant’s mother had a friend while growing up in Bangladesh who had an extra finger, and she recalls everyone mentioning this girl in conversations as having a lucky charm.

Interestingly, this belief is not specific to just Bangladesh. I have a close friend whose family is from India, and her mother has six fingers on both hands. Her nickname growing up in India was “Lucky”, and she was frequently told as a child that it was a great blessing to have these extra fingers.

Considering the fact that Bangladesh has only been around for a couple of decades, and that it was created as a haven for Indian Muslims, it is not surprising that there are shared cultural beliefs between the two nations.