pitäjä

Etymology
. As a term for a territorial area or subdivision, probably originally in the sense of each territory which organized their own feasts as a larger community. The two theories differ here, one claiming that these feasts would be for pagan festivals, while the latter is that they were organized for tax collectors during the Middle Ages as was required.

Noun

 * 1) rural municipality, parish; a regional unit or administrative division comprising multiple villages
 * 2) holder one who holds, grasps, grips
 * 3) keeper one who keeps an establishment
 * 1) keeper one who keeps an establishment

Usage notes
The term "pitäjä" is no longer in official use in Finland (since the 1860s or 1870s), but is still used informally and in historical contexts as well as for some similar divisions in other countries (such as the in Sweden).