French West Africa with the exception of the Senegalese Communes, the administrative structure of French rule at the lower levels remained constant, based upon the Cercle system. This was the smallest unit of French political administration in French colonial Africa that was headed by a European officer. They might range in size, but French Sudan (modern Mali) consisted of less than a dozen Cercles for most of its existence. Thus, a Cercle Commander might be the absolute authority over hundreds of thousands of Africans. A Cercle consisted of several cantons, each of which in turn consisted of several villages, and was almost universal
Name day language calendars include detailed name day lists. Some name days coincide with major Christian feasts, for example people whose names are "Chrēstos" or "Christine" have their name day on Christmas, people named after St. Basil have their name day on New Year's Day, "Anastásios" and "Anastasía" on Easter Sunday, "María" and "Mários" on the Dormition or on the Presentation, etc. The traditional format of a name day celebration is an open house: once a family or person may choose to celebrate with invited guests (at home, at a restaurant, a bar or a club) if at all (e.g. following a