A Siberian Orthodox Christmas celebration got out of hand this week, as they tend to do, when two intoxicated men were admitted to a Russian hospital with severed ears. The men had been engaged in a high-stakes arm wrestling tournament in which the loser was required to cut off his ear. The loser of the first round demanded and won a rematch, causing an argument that resulted in a draw and the only fair solution: both men taking a knife to their left ears. While one was left looking like Vincent Van Gogh, the other only managed to partially severe his ear. Police are now trying to determine whether there was a criminal aspect to this festive self-mutilation.
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