Russia's Best Beards

Bushy, elegant and positively scary facial hair was on show at the 3rd Russian Beard and Mustache Championships, which took place Saturday at the Rhythm 'n' Blues cafe. The competition took place just before Beard Day on Monday, which marks the day when Tsarina Elizabeth of Russia removed the beard tax that her father Peter the Great had introduced during his reign.



"I grew this beard for seven years," one of the more hirsute competitors told the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper. "For this kind of beard you need to completely turn away from women."



The contest had seven different categories, depending on the length and type of mustache and beard, including "Natural Mustache," "Stylized Mustache," "Beard, 5 to 12 Centimeters long," and "Beard 12 Centimeters and Longer."



The competition was not limited to grown men. Anyone could take part in the "Fake Category" if they fashioned their own mustache or beard out of something. Lacking the ability to grow their own, one woman attached jelly sweets to her chin and upper lip and another knitted herself a beard. A small child wore a fake mustache with as much dignity as she could muster.



See the previous Photo Gallery:

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