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What is the original source for the Ashkenazic tradition to do--as is popularly taught--the final search for chometz with a spoon, a feather, and a candle?
It may not have an official source; in that case, what is its earliest mention?
Finally, what are the--presumably Yiddish--words that are/were used for the spoon, the feather, and the candle? (Brown paper bag is extra.)
A chabad.org article titled "Why the Spoon and the Feather?" addresses this. The reason given for the candle is a practical one: so that we can see the bread.
In terms of the spoon and feather:
We search with a wooden spoon so that we can burn it later. We read in the Code of Jewish Law
[SA Orach Chaim 445:3, see Rama] that if one does not find any leavened foods during his search, he should burn the vessel with which he searched.This can be easily accomplished with a wooden spoon. Even nowadays, when we put out ten pieces of bread (so we always find something leavened), there is still significance to burning the bread specifically in a wood-fueled fire.
The feather serves a practical purpose. We can use it to sweep up any crumbly bits of leavened food that we may encounter.
Wikipedia gives another reason for the feather:
"[a feather is] used throughout the year to 'egg' the challah, and is therefore burnt in the chametz."
The burning of the chometz is because you have to "destroy" the leftover chometz that you found or have. You burn the wooden spoon because it provides a source of fuel for the fire. If you used a feather to gather the chometz crumbs, you burn that because it may still have some chometz bits stuck to it. The Chabad.org website gives some of this information.
