Raising a glass with an alcoholic beverage to toast in public is rare in Singapore and Australia but for different reasons. It’s not culturally accepted in Singapore because people don’t drink wine there and also because there could be a Muslim on stage or in the audience and Muslims don’t drink. In Australia no one would do this at a public corporate event, to avoid being seen as promoting drinking. But a new private English school in Shenyang decided to do exactly this for its opening ceremony. I think the purpose of this event gimmick was to communicate an international image of the school. Else toasting in public is also very rare in China.
