Chelyabinsk Family Raises Children with Paired Unusual Names

The Ardashev family from Chelyabinsk can confidently be called one of the most unusual and creative in the region. Veronika and Dmitry are not just parents of many children: they have three girls and two boys. For each child, they chose an original name. Moreover, paired. They say that in this way they contributed to making the world a happier place. Also, the Ardashevs are winners of the «Big Family is the Support of Russia» competition. By the way, even the meeting of the future parents of many children began unusually.

About how the young people met in a dark alley. Where they later filmed a family movie based on the film «Love and Pigeons». What connection the Ardashevs have with schema-nun Martha. And also about strong family traditions — in the new episode of the 74.RU project «Family-Style», the mother of five children, Veronika Ardasheva, shared.

Caught in a Dark Alley

The future spouses met almost 27 years ago. Dmitry was already a student at South Ural State University (SUSU). Veronika had just entered the university. At first sight, the young freshman broke the heart of the future Doctor of Technical Sciences.

— For six months he watched me, rode with me on the trolleybus, wrote poems, looked at me, met me. And I didn’t even notice him, — recalls Veronika Ardasheva.

After unsuccessful attempts to arouse interest in his beloved, the young man moved to decisive action. Now Veronika tells this with a smile. But then, she says, she was seriously frightened:

— On his birthday, he decided to give himself a gift and get to know me. In a dark alley, near the laboratory building, he followed me. There was no one around. And when I heard footsteps behind me, my heart sank. And he came up to me from behind and said: ‘Well, you’re caught’.

But Veronika was finally caught in the love nets of the charming student after he recited her favorite record by heart.

— On one of the dates, Dmitry from beginning to end, word for word, retold the teleplay «Incident in the Multi-Pulti Country». At that moment, I realized that it would never be boring with him.

‘I Persuaded Him for Each One’

It’s never boring in the Ardashev family. Here, the ringing laughter of children is always heard — two sons and three darling daughters. Veronika says that she herself was raised in a large family and always dreamed of becoming a ‘rich’ mom. But her husband did not immediately decide to become a father.

— Dad is a very responsible person, and he was afraid to decide even on the first child, because at that time we didn’t have our own housing. With the others as well — either this is missing, or that. I had to convince him that the right time would never come. There will always be some reasons. So we need to act here and now, — says Veronika Ardasheva.

And only for the fifth, laughs the active mom, Dmitry agreed unconditionally. This was partly thanks to him joining the family ‘game’ — pairing. The Ardashev children have paired names: Makar — Marcelina, Alexander — Alexandrina and Lazarina.

— It would be perfect if there was also a Lazar. I read somewhere that the consonance of names leads to children getting along excellently with each other, energetically they are on the same wavelength, they have the same interests. And now we really understand that this is true: our children do everything in pairs and live very friendly, — shares Veronika.

Each Name Has Its Own Story

Each name has its own story. For example, they wanted to name Alexander Vladimir.

— But when he was born: curly, fair, blue-eyed. I immediately realized that he was exactly Alexander.

And during the pregnancy with their daughter, the creative mom tirelessly repeated the word ‘ballerina’.

— The only name that sounds like ballerina was Marcelina. In Italian, it sounds like Marcellina. I really liked the description of this name: little hammer. And our daughter is really like a ringing little hammer: lively, perky, cheerful, — the mother of many children smiles affectionately.

The parents also hope that the eldest Makar will live up to his name:

— The name Makar means ‘happy’. We are sure that our son will be a happy person.

They Manage to Win Competitions and Travel Across Russia

For the restless Ardashev family, it seems nothing is impossible. They boldly conquer theater stages, play musical instruments, and engage in sports.

— Dad plays the accordion, the children play the piano and violin. Makar attends a theater club, performs in plays — for New Year he will be the prince in «The Snow Queen», — says Veronika Ardasheva.

The Ardashev family has been semi-finalists in the «This is Family for Us» competition for the second year in a row. Last year, they became winners of the All-Russian competition «Big Family is the Support of Russia».

— We were gifted a tour to the Nizhny Novgorod region, to the village of Diveyevo. These are the native places of my ancestors. And there, completely by chance, I found out that I am a descendant of schema-nun Martha, the favorite of Seraphim of Sarov, — recalls Veronika Ardasheva.

The entire Ardashev family visited Altai:

— We gathered mushrooms and lingonberries. The children saw how all this grows. Olkhon Island was especially impressive.

They reached Baikal:

— We traveled by car, so we planned the entire tour down to the smallest details. To the extent that dad attached screens in the car, on which they watched cartoons on the road. At Baikal, we traveled to many places. We tried various dishes.

They returned from a trip to Karelia with a suitcase of impressions:

— There we filmed our family movie «Love and Pigeons» — right in the house where the filming of the famous film took place. After Karelia, we visited St. Petersburg and other cities.

And, of course, they took the children to their native places:

— In August, we visited Arkaim. The fact is that scientists from SUSU, where our dad works, found and reconstructed the world’s first chariot there. And we really wanted to show the children this amazing fact — the world’s first spoked wheel.

In 2024, the Spas TV channel filmed a whole movie about the Ardashev family with the participation of Mikhail Bashkatov in the project «My Big Family».

That Very Anchor

The Ardashevs say that many children are nothing but pluses. Parents gain invaluable experience and wisdom. And the kids learn to care for each other, share, and help.

Veronika and Dmitry say that their main family tradition is to gather together as often as possible. This is that very anchor that keeps them afloat, reminds them of their roots, and gives a priceless sense of community.

— Even in childhood, I dreamed of how we would gather as a friendly family around one big table. That’s exactly what happened: on holidays, our relatives and loved ones come to us. We love to meet, talk, communicate. We always try to support each other. It is in these moments that relationships strengthen, and we learn to truly appreciate each other. And we teach this to our children.